Little Witch Academia: Magic's Revenge
by tititenis
Summary: It has been a couple of months since the missile crisis and all seems at peace. Nevertheless, there is a villain who wants to use this newfound magic to finally eliminate magic once and for all. It is now up to Akko, Diana, Chariot and Croix to prevent this from happening while at the same trying to figure out the feelings they have for each other... Akko/Diana and Chariot/Croix
1. Prologue

The last thing Croix Meridies had expected was for her plan to fail. Not only had she underestimated Akko, but she had also completely lost her way after leaving Luna Nova. She had abandoned her best friend (after having tricked her into stealing the magic of innocent people), had almost killed a student after abandoning her in a cursed forest and had almost destroyed a country with a missile. Her actions, of course, came with consequences, from their ministry of magic. But, while Chariot and the Headmistress had spoken in favor of her, she still had to pay for her crimes. And that's the way she wanted it to be. She had enjoyed her time teaching in Luna Nova, and was looking forward to coming back once she found a cure for Chariot.

After all, that was the least she could do for her best friend.

Looking around her new lab, which came with continuous surveillance from the ministry, all she had done since she left Luna Nova was try to find a cure for Wagandea's curse. There were many tells about people inhaling the pollen and its after-effects (which included loss of magic and ability to fly). Chariot had been lucky. But Croix believed that it had to do with the power Chariot had (both her natural talent and the magic she absorbed during her time as Shiny Chariot). That, was what Croix believed, had helped minimize the effects of the pollen once Chariot inhaled it. Specially since she spent so much time up there looking for Akko. But alas, while it did say that the effects of the pollen would disappear naturally after an undetermined amount of time, she didn't want Chariot to suffer.

Chariot who had always loved to fly.

Then again, she knew that there was something else going on. Her punishment had been too soft, and that to Croix meant only one thing: The Ministry of Magic needed her in a lab. For what, she had no idea. Ever since Akko released the full power of the Grand Triskellion by using the Claiomh Solai, there had been an overage of magic. The Sorcerer's Stones that had previously been on high demand were becoming unnecessary because of the amount of overflowing magic moving through the Ley Lines. In fact, it had been just like Akko and Chariot had said it could be: Witches using their magic freely and making it more accessible to people.

Still, there was something that didn't seem right. The Ministry, which had congratulated the young witches of Luna Nova, had not been as ecstatic with this new amount of magic freely becoming available. Croix could see it in the way they spoke with each other during meetings: They were scared. And Croix could understand very well why…

Now anyone with the knowledge could use magic.

Not only that, but magic was now going to become more difficult to regulate. In fact, very few people knew that the whole purpose of the Sorcerer's Stones was to facilitate the knowledge of who was and where magic was being used. With that gone, it meant that the Ministry of Magic was going to have a harder time with knowing who was using magic. And that meant a problem. Because if she, who was a familiar face in the magic world, had had the capacity of scheming the creation of the Sorcery Solution System; then who knew what someone else, far away from the Ministry's regulating controls could do.

Which is why Croix believed she was here and not in a cell.

Standing up from her chair and going to get some ramens from the fridge, Croix almost failed to notice the red-light warning coming from one of her many monitors. Quickly moving back to her chair, with some precise movements from her wand and her hand, she reached the encrypted file someone had just sent her. Surprised, because her system was almost impossible to hack, Croix was hesitant about opening it. Still, if someone took the time to crack her firewall to send her that, it meant that the person knew who she was and her current situation. Clicking on the link, Croix stared in complete shock at the video playing on all her screens. It wasn't long, but it gave her enough information to know that things were already starting. That there was someone out there taking advantage of magic and using it for their own gains.

Someone using magic to destroy magic…

 _I must go back to Luna Nova. I must warn Chariot!_


	2. Weren't Things Supposed to Get Better?

Life at Luna Nova has not been as it used to. Akko is frustrated and confused about this. Ursula and Diana remind her that there are people who care about her no matter what.

* * *

Things had been going incredibly well for Akko Kagari. After saving the world and flying for the first time, Akko had spent the remaining time of the school year in Luna Nova doing what she liked the most; creating chaos. With her group of allies having increased, and with the newfound respect the teachers and students now had for her, Akko's life had relaxed immensely. While she wasn't as popular as Diana, she was still approached by fellow witches and teachers alike. Not that she disliked it, but sometimes she wished she could go back to those days when no one was expecting great things from her and she could make mistakes. She was worried about failing the people who now liked her, of disappointing them and showing them that what happened had just been pure luck. And, Akko being her resilient and cheery self, had not mentioned any of these things to Sucy or Lotte. Mostly because they were now also enjoying their time meeting new people and friends. Not that she was against her friends becoming popular and getting more people to like them, but to Akko that sudden interest the rest of witches at Luna Nova had taken on them felt fake. The professors, everyone that had mistreated or laughed at them before the incident with the missile was now being so nice and that didn't feel right to the brunette witch. But, hearing Lotte smiling and joking with the others was what prevented Akko from complaining about the situation. Instead, what she found herself doing was practicing even more than before. Every night she went to the library to read, in the mornings she tried the spells with Ursula Sensei and after class she asked Diana to read her notes and add things she believed were important or missing.

It had become too much stress…

Before, she had felt confident in telling Lotte and Sucy was she thought and how she felt. Nevertheless, with the way things were going and the rising popularity that Lotte and Sucy were experiencing, Akko didn't want to burn her friends with her feelings. Which was why she was noticing an increasing distance between the three of them. Instead, the people she was now talking to were Ursula Sensei and Diana (who had not changed in the way she treated her). But this current feeling inside of her was something that she had still not shared with anyone. She felt frustrated about being so conscious with the way people were being around her. In fact, she had started worrying about talking to others because of her belief that they were only interested in knowing her because of the missile incident.

"Remember Akko, the movement of the wand in this spell is very important." Ursula Sensei said to her while performing the spell. "More than physically viewing the object of the spell, you need to see the process of the object becoming real. How it transforms and appears from your mind into this world." she finished and from her wand appeared fireworks and rainbows.

After finding out that Ursula Sensei was in fact Chariot (and the whole process of being delicate with her mentor about that connection), Akko had asked Ursula if she could start teaching her spells to entertain. After the encounter with Vajarois and how she had entertained the people around her, Akko knew that she wanted to do that. She didn't want to be an academic, or an erudite in magic. No, what she wanted was to use her "particular" magic to make people around her happy (even if It meant becoming part of the joke herself). After explaining that to Ursula, and how she had felt while performing for Vajarois, it didn't take long for the older witch to accept her proposition and offer her help.

And like usual, nothing was working.

Failing yet again to do the spell Ursula Sensei had just shown her, Akko yelled angrily and threw her wand to the floor, quickly moving away from it and falling to the floor. She felt tears coming to her eyes and she couldn't help herself from crying her frustration. Soon enough she felt strong arms holding her from behind without saying a word and her crying now became sobbing. Turning around, she saw a sad and understanding smile coming from Ursula Sensei and again her mentor held her tight. As if wanting to tell her with this touch that she could understand very well what was happening.

And most probably she did.

This must have been what her teacher felt when she was younger. When she started to get good at magic and using her powers to create shows. This pressure to never fail and to always keep improving and adding new things. In one of their many talks after the missile incident, Ursula Sensei had explained everything to her; how she became Shiny Chariot, how she used the Shiny Rod, how it disappeared after her last show and the trauma she experienced after realizing that her goal of using magic to make people happy had been a complete farce. Akko had felt sorry for her teacher: For the many years she must have spent alone with her sorrow and guilt. And, although Ursula Sensei had stopped making her hair blue, she was still wearing her glasses and preferred to be called Ursula.

Especially when it was Akko the one calling her name.

"Akko…" she heard Ursula Sensei whisper while massaging her back.

"I'm sorry Sensei." Akko chokes out and tries to move away but is held by strong arms.

"You don't have to apologize for anything." the older woman says softly. "And there's no need for you to move if you don't want to."

"I just feel like all you do is comfort and calm me." the younger witch whispers sadly. "And that goes beyond your duties as a professor."

"We both know we've become more than that, right?" Ursula tells her warmly. "You, Akko, are very precious to me. And, I will always protect you."

"Even from myself?" Akko asks dejectedly. "Because lately I seem to have become my own worst enemy."

"Is that what you think?" Ursula smiles softly. "I know you've been working harder than usual by staying until late at night reading in the library and then asking Diana for more notes and recommendations." she chuckles. "Not that I'm against you studying or wanting to learn more, but I want to understand why you're acting as if you're running out of time."

"I'm afraid of failing." Akko whispers after a couple of seconds have gone by. "Everyone saw what I did with the Shiny Rod and we both know that happened of the power it had. Not because it was my magic, but it was the magic of the wand." she looks at Ursula. "What I did…" she closes her eyes. "Was something beyond my capabilities. And although I know that, the people around me don't. And…"

"They're expecting you to do the same thing again." Ursula finishes the sentence for her knowingly.

"I can't fail them. I must improve, I must become a good witch and I must use my magic to make people happy. Like I did with the Shiny Rod."

"Akko, it took me a long time. Ten years in fact…" the older witch smiles sadly. "To learn that people won't become happy by looking at someone who is unhappy."

"I don't understand." Akko whispers confused.

"I mean that even if you try your hardest to learn, while doing the magic you'll be so pressured about making it work that it won't have any feelings or emotions in it." Ursula says simply. "And everyone that knows you well can notice that you're not your usual self."

"Can they?" the brunette asks wistfully. "Lately I have felt that our group is slowly breaking apart."

"I know what they're feeling." Ursula says calmly. "I mean, you know that's what I experienced after acquiring the Shiny Rod. I became good at doing magic and people were suddenly talking to me and wanting to become friends. I became intoxicated by it." she smiles sadly. "And it seems that the same happened to your friends."

"Wish it happened to me as well..." Akko says bitterly. "Wouldn't be suffering about all of this if it did."

"You know my story Akko, you saw it thanks to the Shiny Rod. And thankfully, you've been intelligent enough to avoid and learn from my mistakes." the older witch explains to her. "So in a small part of your mind you were already prepared for a situation like this one."

"I just can't understand how the others are incapable of seeing it as well?! I mean, Diana is acting like she always does! Why can't the others do the same?!"

"Perhaps because Diana is used to people wanting to become her friends for her status and power?" Ursula says on point and this makes Akko understand her position even more than before.

"She has always been treated like this..." Akko whispers sadly.

"She's changed since then." the red-haired witch gave her a knowing smile. "Since becoming your friend."

"I bet it was Diana the one that ratted me out." the young witch chuckles. "Apart from you Sensei, Diana is the only person with whom I have felt free to be my usual self."

"She was very worried about you." she jokes softly. "Reminds me of my time in Luna Nova and my relationship with Croix." she finishes sadly.

That was another story Ursula Sensei had explained to her after the incident. How Croix had been a prodigy at Luna Nova and had strangely taken a liking to her. She had never understood why the older witch had been interested in her or her magic (since it was the complete opposite). But for a while, the two of them had been best friends and had searched for the seven words together. And that, all the things they had to go through to find them, made them grow close. Closer than what had been expected of the most popular girl at Luna Nova and the dumb Chariot.

To Akko, that certainly sounded like her own relationship with Diana. How the blonde woman started to talk to her, explain magic and even watch her perform the spells that Ursula Sensei taught her.

"Do you miss her?" Akko asks her softly.

"I miss the way we were." the red-haired woman answers her honestly. "I loved Croix very much when I was younger. She was one of the few who believed in me. Who stayed by my side before I became good at magic." she chuckles sadly. "After the Shiny Rod was given to me, things changed…" she looks upwards to keep her gaze away from Akko. "I guess she became envious of me, in a way that made it easier for her to hurt me and vice-versa."

Akko could guess what event Ursula Sensei was thinking about. The Shiny Chariot presentations and the Dream Fuel Spirit.

"Remember Sensei, no more feeling guilty about things in the past. Diana already forgave you. I forgave you." Akko then grabs Ursula's hands strongly. "You've helped me so much. I know that all I have become, it has always been because of you. Before coming to Luna Nova I had Shiny Chariot. Now I have you Sensei. So please, don't feel guilty."

Ursula stares at deep brown eyes and smiles warmly.

"You overestimate me too much."

"I certainly do not." the brown-haired girl exclaims proudly. "You, Sensei, are one of the most powerful witches of our time." she then gives her a thumb up. "Which means that I am learning from the best."

"Then if I am your Sensei… That would mean that in the future you'll also become one of the best." Ursula tells her confidently.

"I just want to use my magic to make people smile." Akko tells her simply. "I want people to see magic and fall in love with it just like I did when I went to watch your show."

"And I'll help you achieve that." Ursula promises her and looks at the clock when Alcor crows in warning. "Akko, if you don't leave soon you'll be late for class." she informs her student who shrieks and quickly starts to pack her things.

"Fineran Sensei will kill me if I'm late." Akko starts to move around the room grabbing her wand and bag. "That's one thing that has also not changed." she jokes and stops at the door. "Ursula Sensei, thank you for everything today."

"You're welcome Akko. And remember, don't let others dictate who and how you are. Be yourself and you'll be just fine." she promises the younger witch who smiles and nods.

"Will do Sensei! See you later!" the brunette woman says and closes the door behind her.

Turning around to look at Alcor, Ursula stands up from her chair and goes to pet him, softly asking him to raise his foot so she can take the letter that came attached to it. Smiling sadly at the familiar handwriting in front of it, the red-haired woman takes a calming breath before breaking the magic seal and opening the letter. Quickly going over it, she moves towards her window and stares at St. Michael's Tower. Closing her eyes in surrender, she knows what she must do…

 _"Chariot, something is wrong, I can feel it. Meet me tonight in St. Michael's Tower at 10pm."_

 _Croix_

LWALWALWALWA

Akko took a huge breath once she stopped in front of Fineran's classroom. Looking at the clock in the hall, she relaxed when she noticed that she was not late and that the professor had yet to arrive. Opening the door, she quietly went inside and noticed everyone staring at her with smiles. Perturbed a little by the friendly welcome, she pretended to not see many of the girls waving and asking her to sit with them. What she did instead was sit in her usual spot between Lotte and Sucy (who had changed seats and were each other with different groups). Responding to their greetings from her seat, Akko stayed all by herself and was relieved when she saw that no one tried to join her. Although Ursula Sensei had told her that things would get easier once people forgot about the missile incident and exams arrived, Akko had the feeling that it was not going to be as easy as her mentor had made it sound like.

Opening her notebook in preparation for the class, it took Akko a couple of seconds to realize that there was something written on it.

 _"Are you alright?"_ the letters disappeared once she read it and she turned to look at familiar blue eyes.

Nodding in confirmation (because she didn't know the spell that Diana had used), she saw more letters and words appearing.

 _"I was worried…."_ again the letters vanished. _"The spell you have to use is Letinviciblis. And you need to move your wand as if you were writing the words you're thinking about."_

"Letinviciblis." Akko whispered and started moving her wand. _"I was just sad about some things."_ she gives Diana a soft smile. _"Nothing too serious…"_

 _"You know, you can talk to me…"_ the notes being written become messier. _"I know that it has not been long since we became friends, but I care about you Akko."_

This makes Akko look at Diana with a warm smile on her face and she notices the blonde witch trying to look calm and nonchalant.

" _I care about you too Diana."_ Akko thinks and is going to write something else but Fineran just closed the door of the classroom with her magic.

"Good morning class." the older witch says firmly. "Today what we're going to have is a surprise test." many of the students groan in contempt. "Although at Luna Nova we pride ourselves in maintaining tradition and decorum, recent events have showed the staff that we need to adapt and accept all traits of individuality." she says this while staring at Diana and Akko. "Which is why today's test will be about your spell execution and power. The student will have the opportunity to choose her own spells and I'll grade them based on the two previously mentioned parameters."

Relaxing herself after hearing Fineran Sensei saying that, Akko exhaled and noticed that around the room similar reactions to the one she had were occurring. Diana, of course, was an exception since everyone knew that the young witch can do any spell Fineran could think of perfectly.

"Now then, we'll be going by order of list." Fineran tells them clearly and sits in front of the class. "Antonenko."

Jasminka surely stands up from her seat and goes to stand in front of Fineran. With a sure movement of her hand, Jasminka makes pieces of food appear all around her. The food starts moving in circles, lights and music coming from a place around Jasminka. Betwitched by the sight, Akko notices how one bag of chips transforms into a donut and lights up in different colors until the song ends. After that's done, everyone in the class starts clapping warmly and even Fineran is surprised by the capability Jasminka had just shown in dominating three different types of spells.

"Good job Miss Antonenko." the teacher congratulates her. "Now, Miss Braunschbank Albrechtsberger, your turn."

Like Jasminka, Constanze also does well in using her robots and doing something similar to what she did during the Wild Hunt. The little robots quickly multiplied and joined, making one giant creature that performed a simulated fight.

Again, Fineran congratulated her student and her use of puppet magic. Previously, the professor would have believed that these students were not the greatest at using magic. But, now watching them perfectly perform complex and innovative spells, she was glad she had been mistaken about their talent and capabilities as witches.

"Miss Cavendish." Fineran says next and all the people in the class, including Akko, excitedly wait to see what the blonde woman has planned to show them today.

Diana, meanwhile, was nervously thinking of what to do. Unlike the other people in the class, she was not used to creating spells and performances herself. What she did really well was learn the mechanic of spells. And, although during the Samhain Festival she had performed a spell that was like the ones being done today, this time she had not prepared anything like that.

Now that she was standing at the front of the class, Diana closed her eyes and tried to think of something that inspired her. In this case there was one person that, to her, always stood out from the rest. With a soft and calm movement from her hand, the room became completely dark. From her wand, rays of light and color started to appear and take shape, transforming into fairies that were performing a choreography in complete synchrony.

Diana knew very well that not many people would recognize the scene, but when she focused on Akko, she saw the wide smile on her face. She knew that the brunette witch had recognized the scene from one of Shiny Chariot's shows. And, the sight of happiness on Akko's face was what made this small moment completely worth it. She knew very well that she was not using complex magic, but the lights she conjured kept on switching and creating different moments from Chariot's performance. The centaur, the crow, the dragon, all of them were appearing in front of the class who started clapping in encouragement after the lights were turned back on.

"Splendid job Miss Cavendish." Fineran complimented her and she chose to just sit back in her seat after giving a small smile to the people around her.

Staring back at Akko, Diana opened her book when she saw the brunette witch pointing with her eyes towards her table.

 _"That was magical. Thank you, Diana…"_ it simply said and Diana knew that her gesture had been accepted and treasured by her friend.

"Miss Kagari…" Fineran said and the whole class remained silent. "It's your turn now."

No one had seen Akko doing magic since the incident with the missile. Yes, she had performed the spells in class, but nothing outside the norm or that was spectacular. In fact, they had all been missing the Akko that tried her hardest to surprise everyone (and failed because of it). This one, the new Akko, had become more serious and calculating. And, for the first time in a while, she could do whatever spell she wanted. Of course, people would be anxious about watching what she would do.

Before watching Diana's performance, Akko had been demotivated do perform. She had seen the way people's eyes went to her when Fineran explained the test and she knew what they must have been thinking. They were expecting her to let go and use all her new magic. That, along with the fact that earlier she had failed her practice with Ursula Sensei, had left Akko's confidence destroyed.

Until she saw Diana's presentation…

The blonde witch had done something incredible for her. Had reminded her of what brought her to Luna Nova. What had made her love magic. And, although Ursula had done an incredible job in calming her down, seeing the magic firsthand was something completely different. She wanted to be a witch that could make people laugh. She wanted to use her magic to make the world become a happier place. And Diana, with her simple and yet beautiful presentation, had reminded her of that.

Turning around to look at her classmates, she focused on Diana and gave her a small bow and confident smile before addressing them.

"You must all know by now why I wanted to come to Luna Nova. It was because I wanted to become a witch like Shiny Chariot. I wanted to use my magic to make people happy. And today, I'm going to do that. I hope you enjoy it." she finished saying and murmured the spell to transform her clothes to the ones Shiny wore on her show.

Of course, the only one that would be aware of the clothes would be Diana.

Looking away from Akko for a little while, Diana noticed Alcor flying around and she quickly whispered a whistle that she knew the bird would recognize as a signal.

 _"You should tell your master to quickly come and watch this."_ she simply thought and immediately the bird flew away.

Meanwhile, Akko was trying the spell Ursula Sensei had taught her early. It was harder than the normal ones but the results were tremendous depending on your imagination. And, one thing that Akko had in favor was her imagination. Closing her eyes, she thought of herself in a setup like Chariot's show. The open field, the white pillars of magic surrounding them and the stage in the middle. Wishing with all her might for that to happen, she moved her wand and said loudly…

"Specta Imaginaris!" she said firmly and the room around her started to change.

Everyone in the class started to whisper exclamations of awe at noticing that they were no longer in the classroom. Instead, they were in an open space with pillars of magic surrounding them. Diana, recognizing the scene, couldn't stop herself from opening her mouth in complete shock. This type of spell was something they had not learned yet! This was advanced magic that Akko had effortlessly performed. Probably with the help of Ursula Sensei who had kept her word in making Akko become a better witch. Wanting to see Fineran's reaction, Diana smirked when she saw how in shock the older woman was at what was happening in front of her.

Akko, a little tired after having pulled that spell off, knew that she needed to do one more thing before running out of magic. So, with a final push of her power, she imagined herself as a centaur flying through the sky. Imagined it as best as she could; how the wand had to move, the area where she would be running to and the place where she was going to land.

"Metamorphie Faciesse!" she exclaims firmly and immediately feels the magic flowing through her.

Not completely sure if it worked, Akko opens her eyes and notices the shocked face of everyone around her. Wanting to gain confirmation from a reliable source, she looks at Diana and sees her smiling brightly at her.

As if she were remembering a scene from her past.

Smirking and yelping in delight, Akko quickly uses her magic and starts to float through the air (well, more jumping since she still couldn't fly) and hears the happy screams and claps coming from her classmates. She knows that her magic is going to run out soon, so after making one quick turn around the area, Akko returns to the center of the stage and throws some fireworks into the air and stage to camouflage herself, which allows her to let go of all the spells and returns them all to the classroom and the congratulations and clapping coming from her friends.

Diana, meanwhile, had just stayed in her seat, trying her best to process what she had just seen. Akko had done it. She had performed beautiful magic without a single flaw and had given them a wonderful performance. Even Fineran, who was a witch that leaned more towards the traditional side of magic, was close to Akko congratulating her for her effort and work.

Knowing that she had a little time before Fineran ordered everyone to return to their seats, Diana stood up and went towards the door, having noticed that it had been opened during the beginning of the performance. Carefully going out, it didn't surprise her to see Ursula Sensei trying her best to hide her tears. Diana knew how much this meant to her. How much it meant watching Akko perform beautiful magic that had been inspired by her.

"It was beautiful Sensei." Diana whispers proudly. "Our Akko just did that."

"Indeed, she did." Ursula says happily. "Thank you for telling me to come."

"You had to see this." Diana says knowingly. "Because just like I could tell there was something going on with Akko, you have also been feeling a little down Sensei."

"It has not been easy." she admits to the younger girl because they had grown close as well. "But then again, it was never supposed to be."

"Has it gotten easier to forgive yourself, Chariot?" the blonde witch asks her warmly. "And accept that part of yourself?"

"I think that today I started to." Ursula says softly and takes off her glasses. "And again, all thanks to Akko and her faith in me."

"She seems to possess that ability to take out the best of a person and show it to the world." Diana jokes softly. "I know that's what she did with me."

"We must protect that." the older witch says firmly.

This makes Diana look knowingly at her.

"Has something happened?" she whispers.

"I'm not sure." Ursula tells her honestly. "By tonight I should have more answers. But that doesn't mean that Akko is not in danger. From herself. She's going through a rough time and needs a friend who understands her."

"I will always support Akko." Diana promises vehemently. "No matter what happens I'll always be by her side."

This makes Ursula smile warmly.

"I'm sure you will."

It brought back too many memories that she wished were kept under lock.


	3. I Thought You Had Forgotten All About Us

Croix returns to Luna Nova with news that concern the future of Akko and Diana in the academy. Memories of the previous years come to light and hidden feelings are shared between the four witches.

* * *

"So, after moving your wand in a circular motion, the next thing you need to do is place a location for the spell." Ursula explains while doing as she said. "Following that, instead of saying the spell out loud, what you do is think the composition of the spell; the words that form it, and concentrate into using your magic." she finishes and a great ball of light comes out of her wand.

"Instead of using the words as power and reassurance of my intentions I must use my imagination as a catalyst?" Diana asks from her place inside Ursula's room.

Diana had also started to see Ursula Sensei as a mentor and had asked her for help in the next step of her magical education; performing spells without needing to say the words. She knew that Ursula could do so (in fact she was a natural since she started performing as Shiny Chariot, who had to learn to not say loudly every single spell that she used when she performed).

"Yes. Words in spells are a way for witches to use the power of the word to help them create the object of their spell. But, when a witch is capable enough, she can imagine the object strongly enough that her words become unnecessary. And, some witches even surpass that power and become capable of performing magic without holding their wand."

"Is that really possible?" Diana asks completely shocked because she could not imagine not having a wand to canalize her magic.

"Next time Professor Holbrook is near you ask her to show this to you. She's the only witch that I know can do this." the older witch smiles softly when she notices the way Diana is thinking of doing so.

 _She looks so much like you, Croix…_

"I will!" the blonde witch says happily and starts focusing on her spell.

Closing her eyes, she waits until her mind is no longer capable of staying in control and huffs in disappointment when nothing happens.

"It takes time and practice to master silent-casting. It also varies depending on the difficulty of the spell." the older witch consoles her. "With practice, you'll notice the spells becoming stronger."

"Akko is better than me at this type of magic." Diana smiles softly. "The one that uses your imagination…" she further explains. "I used to envy that of her; her capacity to make the impossible become possible. Now I admire it."

"Some witches are better at specific types of magic. While there is magic that better fits people with good imagination, like performers and artists, there are other types that are better suited for dedicated and collected witches. Akko, most probably, would have a much more difficult time performing healing spells…" Ursula smiles softly at her. "Which to you are the easiest to perform."

"And why is that?" she asks curiously.

"Because healing magic require the witch casting the spell to keep her emotions at bay. To stay calm and collected. I'm afraid Akko would be so terrified about the spell working that she would overthink it too much."

"Hence forcing it and not making it work." the blonde witch can understand what her mentor is saying. "You're good at using magic based on imagination and strength."

"A necessary thing for my performances when I was Chariot. I used to move around and use magic in big quantities. I needed to have a higher stamina than the rest of witches. After I stopped performing, that overflowing magic remained inside of me and I learned to channel it in parts of my body like my legs and arms."

"I see…" Diana says proudly because what Ursula Sensei had just explained was no small feat.

"In fact, that's why I was hired at Luna Nova. Somehow, Principal Holbrook found a way to contact me and asked me to work at the school. At the time I was so lost and confused that I ended up accepting because the school would be a good place to hide myself." Ursula smiles sadly. "Luckily, it seems doing so was the best decision I could have made."

"I think so as well Sensei." the blonde witch closes her eyes and again tries the spell.

This time, it's easier for her to make the small firework come out of her wand.

"What are you thinking of? If you don't mind telling me…"

"I'm just thinking of the color, the intensity, the height and shape I want the firework to be." Diana says and Ursula chuckles.

"You are thinking too many things. What I do, when I want to use this spell, is think of a person or object that relates to the spell." the red-haired woman sees her student's confused face. "For example, when I think of Alcor…" she points towards her crow. "While wanting to perform this spell, this happens…" she moves her wand and a green firework with the shape of a bird appears between them.

"I see…" Diana understands now what Ursula meant with relating people with the spells.

It didn't take her long to realize who would be a powerful enough catalyst for her to make the spell work. Closing her eyes again, and imagining soft brown hair and eyes, Diana knew right away that her spell worked perfectly because fireworks started pouring out of her wand in many shapes and colors.

"Incredible…" the blonde witch whispers while watching and realizing, in a small way, the influence Akko had over her and her magic.

"Very good job Diana!" Ursula congratulates her warmly with a knowing smile. "It seems like you found the specific memory that helps you make this spell work."

"Indeed." Diana says embarrassedly but notices the time. "Is it that late?" she had an appointment she couldn't, no, wouldn't want, to cancel.

"Oh I'm sorry." the older woman apologizes because she lost track of time. "It seems that I got distracted and forgot to look at the time."

"Don't worry Sensei." the blonde witch grabs her stuff and bows one more time. "Thank you again for the lesson and see you tomorrow at the same time."

"See you Diana." Ursula gives her student one last smile and watches her leave.

She was late for her encounter with Croix. Perhaps done a little unconsciously since a small part of her feared what their meeting would be like.

"She reminds me of myself." she heard a familiar voice say from behind her and there was Croix staring at her with a sad smile. "How she tries all kinds of magic and starts realizing that some types are better suited for others..."

"Croix…" Ursula whispers softly and notices that apart from her hair having grown a little, and her use of loose clothes, the woman in front of her looked just like she did when she left Luna Nova.

"Chariot…" the older woman says sadly and it seems like she wants to move closer to where she is but feels unsure about doing so.

"I'm sorry for not being there on time." the red-haired woman says apologetically.

"I understand. I'm just as worried about this as you are. I don't know how to act." Croix smiles dejectedly.

"I'm happy to see you Croix." Ursula says honestly.

"Are you really?" the lilac-haired woman whispers disbelievingly. "I find that hard to believe. I know that you said you forgave me for what happened." she looks down. "But I can't forgive myself."

"Croix…"

"Please let me finish. Please let me explain to you why." Croix begs. "I have always regretted what I did to you all those years ago… How I tricked you into using my magic for my selfish needs. How I hurt you and made you abandon your dream…" the lilac-haired woman looks down in sadness. "You were my best friend, Chariot. You meant everything to me." she whispers brokenly. "But I was too jealous. Of the fact that you got given the power to change the world and I didn't. Of seeing how you behaved after being given such responsibility."

Croix stops talking and walks towards Ursula slowly, raising her hands in a sign that asked for permission to do so.

"I was hurt. I was angry and I was lost. After watching what you did during that show and you losing the Claiomh Solai, I decided that I was going to do everything in my power to prove to you and the Solai that it made a mistake. That it chose the wrong person."

"Oh Croix…" Ursula whispers brokenly.

"So imagine my surprise and excitement when years later I felt a power similar to the Claiomh Solai and I ended up following it to Luna Nova? Not only had it appeared to a girl that was fan of Shiny Chariot, but that same girl was being tutored by her long-lost idol. It was too good to be true and I wanted to use that to hurt you. To show you once and for all that making tricks and spells to make people 'happy' was a silly thing to do. I wanted to do so by using that little girl's love for you. And I almost succeeded in that."

Ursula cannot say anything in responses to that. She had never known how hurt Croix had been about everything…

"But I was wrong. I realize that now. You, Chariot, were right. Magic is meant to make people happy, to help them. And I almost ruined all of that. I almost hurt you again." she chuckles darkly. "I almost hurt a student just because she reminded me of you. Because she trusted me and she sounded and behaved like you."

"Please stop." The red-haired woman prevents her from continuing.

It was too painful.

"I always knew that I was not a good person." Croix says simply. "Even when I was a child I realized it. I accepted it. But then I met you and I wanted to become better. Because you were so bright Chariot, I wanted to be able to stand next to you. And I knew that I needed to become better to do so."

"You're wrong." Ursula says with tears in her eyes. "You were the world to me Croix! You were the only one that truly believed in me. The one that showed me the wonderful things magic could do. I was horrible at magic and no one had the patience to help me. Except you. You watched every spell, every performance and were with me in every trial I got put through. Perhaps I was too blinded and too naïve to not realize that being with me hurt you. Or perhaps I did notice but I was too selfish to let you go. I wanted to be with you. I loved you so much." she cries vehemently.

"Chariot…" Croix whispers completely shocked.

"And even when I was at my lowest, I never thought ill of you. We were just children who were given such a burden, Croix. No one knew what we were going through and the responsibility we had. Of course we would get confused…" Ursula smiles bitterly. "And even when a part of me wanted to never see you again; another part was desperately wanting to be found by you. I was expecting you to come back and try again. But then the years went by and nothing changed. You became a wonderful witch, an expert in your field, and I naively thought that you had forgotten all about the Shiny Rod and me. So, when I first saw you at Luna Nova I was confused. I didn't know what you wanted, why you hadn't approached me or told people about me." she looks down in embarrassment. "I don't want to feel this way. I know you hurt me, that I should think twice about giving you another chance. But I can't stop myself from wanting to go back to how things were before the Shiny Rod appeared to us."

"I want that as well…" Croix says vehemently. "I want to redeem myself, Chariot. To show you that I can be better."

"Then let's both do so, Croix." Ursula whispers and closes the distance between the two of them with a hug. "Let's both be our best possible selves."

"I will try my hardest." the older woman cries while clinging to the person she loves the most. "Which is what actually brought me here in the first place."

"Did something happen?" the red-haired witch asks while separating from her friend and sitting in one of the chairs.

"Yes. You know that I'm working with the Ministry to pay for what I did." she looks down in embarrassment. "Although they never told me why, I had my suspicions that they wanted to use my magic measurement system."

"I assume it has to do with the current overflow of magic we've been experiencing after Akko broke the Grand Triskellion?"

"Correct. Now that there's no shortage of magic, the use of it has become more sporadic and out of control. The Ministry is trying its best to regulate it, but now that there's no need to use the Sorcerer's Stones, it has become impossible to trace who is using magic or where it is being used."

"When we were children, I never thought about what would happen after returning magic. The chaos it could possibly create outside of Luna Nova." Ursula chuckles bitterly.

Croix gives her a sad smile.

"Me neither. Which is why I thought that was the main reason the Ministry gave me a lab and allowed me relatively enough freedom to continue using my system and being an active witch. To keep an eye on things… But today something happened." the older woman closes her eyes in resignation. "A new clandestine anti-magic group has appeared. They're using the overflow of magic to perform terrorist acts in order to eliminate magic and witches once and for all."

"Using magic to eliminate magic?" the younger witch asks worriedly. "Has there been an attack?" the moment she says this she notices Croix looking away from her.

"Last night they sent me a file containing their demands with a demonstration of what they could do. A witch that came to Luna Nova years before us…" Croix closes her eyes. "She didn't make it."

"That's terrible." Ursula says sadly. "We must make sure to inform Luna Nova and the staff so that we can prevent our students from being in danger." the witch continues saying. "Create safe groups to travel…"

"They want Akko and Miss Cavendish." Croix says simply and this makes Ursula freeze.

"What do you mean they want Akko and Diana?"

"One of their demands was that they want the young witches that made magic return to this world." the older woman whispers brokenly. "I don't know what the Ministry has planned or if they'll say anything to Luna Nova about the situation. I just came here the moment I found this out to warn you."

"Are you saying that we can't trust the Ministry to protect us?" Ursula asks worriedly.

"You've heard the rumors Chariot. My presence in there, after having done all that I did, is suspicious enough as it is. I just don't know how they could react if things escalate. But, while Miss Cavendish comes from a known family of witches and can be protected from them because of this, that scenario does not apply to Akko. She's a first-generation witch." she whispers worriedly. "You need to prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"And what would be the worst-case scenario?" the red-haired whispers not wanting to believe what she's hearing.

"That they'll take Akko away."

LWALWALWALWA

Although she was a little behind time, Diana was doing her best to not bring attention to herself. Technically speaking, students were forbidden from using magic or walking around school this late at night. In fact, she was one of the main students who enforced this rule. Nevertheless, during recent weeks she had turned a blind eye to a specific student who was using this time of night to practice her spells. Turning around the corner, Diana can notice the show of lights coming from behind one of the school's walls.

 _She must be in the garden again,_ she thought with a bright smile.

Doing her best to not bother the witch casting spells, Diana simply took a seat in one of the benches and watched from a safe distance the show in front of her. Akko, like earlier this day, was using spells to create a performance similar to the ones of Shiny Chariot. But, unlike Chariot who used mythical creatures, Akko used her own funny creations and joined them in one huge segment.

Noticing that Akko was running out of magic, Diana waited until the brunette witch stopped moving her wand and immediately she started clapping, making her friend stare worriedly at her.

"Oh Diana! You scared me." Akko says while chuckling and laying on the grass.

"You're improving so much Akko." Diana compliments her honestly. "I enjoy watching you use your magic."

"Thank you." the brunette says warmly and pats the side next to her and waits until Diana sits. "After Fineran's class you left in such a hurry. I wanted to speak to you."

"I'm sorry. I had a session with Ursula Sensei and I didn't want to be late." she apologizes. "Ursula Sensei is teaching me how to perform spells without speaking."

"That's incredible! I'm glad Sensei is helping you as well Diana. She deserves the recognition." Akko adds wistfully. "To believe that many here consider her a simple astrology professor…"

"Our win, their loss." Diana says and both witches chuckle. "I'm happy to see you're feeling better Akko. Sadness doesn't suit you."

"All thanks to Sensei's words and you, Diana." the brunette says seriously. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to thank you for today. Well, not only for today, but for caring about me. For doing that spell in Fineran's class and reminding me why I came to Luna Nova. Over the last couple of weeks, it seems like I have lost perspective. Forgotten about my true purpose."

"Which is?" the blonde witch asks warmly.

"To learn magic so I can make people happy." Akko gives her a bright smile. "To show the world that magic is good and beautiful. To be like Shiny Chariot." she chuckles warmly. "And it finally seems that I'm succeeding thanks to Sensei's and your help."

"That's all your hard work Akko." Diana says confidently. "What you did today, just now, is no simple magic. Many witches are incapable of using such magic."

"Ursula Sensei explained to me that some magic is better suited for specific type of witches. Since I have a big imagination, spells that use that specific part tend to come easier to me. But, spells that require technique and methodology are harder. Like flying." Akko smiles sadly.

"I know that soon enough you'll be capable of flying." Diana says confidently and this brings a warm smile to Akko's face.

"Not impossible, just harder." the brunette witch agrees because with the help of Sensei and Diana she knew she was capable of doing everything.

"Soon enough you'll stop needing my help to learn magic." the blonde witch says and notices her friend's smile disappearing.

"So you'll leave me as well?" Akko whispers sadly. "Lately, everything has changed around me. People treat me differently and I don't know what to think of it. I feel their intentions are not as honest as they claim them to be. Like they're only seeking me out because of what I did. Not because of who I am."

"Akko…"

"And Sucy and Lotte don't seem to notice this. They're hanging with people who before the incident talked horrible things about them as if there's nothing wrong about that!" the brunette witch says exasperated. "I can't do the same. It makes me think that the moment I do something wrong people will start disliking me again. The only people who haven't changed around me are Sensei and you, Diana. So please, don't say that we'll stop being friends."

"I didn't say that Akko." Diana says softly while grabbing Akko's hands. "Even if I wanted to stay away from you, it would be impossible for me to do so. I…" the blonde looks down in embarrassment. "I care too much about you Akko."

More than what friends should care about each other…

"Really?" Akko asks her with tears in her eyes. "You mean this?"

"I wouldn't be here, sitting in the grass during the middle of the night, if I didn't." she tries to joke and Akko chuckles sadly.

"I guess you're right about that." the brunette witch lowers her eyes. "Does that mean that you won't leave me?" she asks hesitantly.

This makes Diana get closer to Akko and hug her tightly.

"I promise that I'll always stay by your side Akko."

Little did she know that the very next day that promise would be put to the test.


	4. Danger Reaches Luna Nova

Diana is worried about Akko, who finally learns why she's being ignored by her friends. Ursula asks for help and Croix doesn't think twice about offering it to her.

* * *

Ursula was calmly reading the notes Croix had left her last night with the research she had done on the terrorist group. Although the group was considered new, the reality was that they had been present in the political arena since before this incident. While she had heard a little about the movement during her time as Shiny Chariot, she had no idea of the transformation it went through. During her youth, the group was the laughing stock of the magic community and not taken very seriously. But right now, based on Croix's notes, they were successfully using magical artifacts against governmental entities. Their targets, most of the times, were witches and magical beings. Their success to having remained under the radar was that their attacks were not sporadic, but they were performed in such a way that at first, they seemed like individual incidents. It had taken for a witch like Croix to connect the dots and show an intricate pattern that started taking place five years ago.

 _(Flashback)_

"I won't let them take Akko away!" Ursula says fiercely.

"I know." Croix tries to calm her down. "I also don't want them to take her. I care about her as well…" she confesses softly.

"I have to protect her." she whispers brokenly.

"I'll help you Chariot." the older woman promises her friend vehemently. "We must prepare."

"We need a plan." the red-haired woman says desperately. "Some sort of place to hide her in case they come to Luna Nova."

"I have a place." the lilac-haired witch tells her. "I used it to hide my inventions but there is enough space there for all of us."

"That's good." the younger woman whispers. "I'm sure that Principal Holbrook will also be on our side and she'll help us escape."

"What about telling her Chariot?" Croix asks. "Although the Ministry already has the demands of the terrorist group, unless the group conducts an attack dangerous enough to worry them, then Akko's position in the school is safe."

"I don't know…" the red-haired woman thinks about it. Akko knowing would only make the girl become extremely paranoid and worried, which in return would prevent her magic from working. "When Akko is under pressure or scared her magic stops working."

"Then perhaps what you should do is warn Miss Cavendish about keeping an eye on her? She's capable enough and it's less unusual for her to be with Akko. Us, we would be too notorious."

"That could work." Ursula says softly but also considers the blonde's feeling when hearing the news.

They would not be good at all…

"Then we shall not tell Akko anything. For all we know, they may be watching Akko right now in case they need to extract her." Ursula then looks at her friend. "They're probably watching all of us…"

"Don't worry, I took care of that before coming here. The wizards sent will believe that they watched us meet and go on a date. Nothing concerning Akko."

"That's good." she whispers relaxed. "Wait, a date?!"

"Of course! Why else would I come all the way to Luna Nova? I had to give them a good enough excuse. And, with our history it's not hard to believe that we could be lovers." Croix explains while blushing profusely.

"I guess you're right…" Ursula blushes as well.

Their relationship was tumultuous enough.

"So, before the wizards wake up and realize I'm not at the station, how about I tell you where my place is and give you a device that you can use to contact me?" her friend chuckles and this makes Ursula do the same.

 _(End of Flashback)_

"Good morning Sensei." Ursula heard Akko say from the door. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all Akko." she gives her student a bright smile while putting away the documents she was reading. "You look happy."

"Really? Is it that obvious?" Akko chuckles embarrassedly. "I guess I feel better. After talking to you and seeing that my magic worked during Fineran's class, I'm starting to believe that finally things will start working for the best." the brunette chuckles. "I mean, for Fineran to even congratulate me…" she continues saying happily. "Everyone in the class was clapping and smiling during the whole time, Sensei. I mean, almost no one knew from where it came from, but Diana noticed right away what I was doing and she said that it was incredible."

 _I will protect Akko's smile no matter what…_

"I'm very proud of you, Akko." Ursula tells her warmly. "And the magic you used for that first spell was very advanced."

"You mean you saw it?" the brunette asks her with a hoping smile.

"A little bird told me that I should head to your class soon after you left my room." Ursula says happily. "And I'm glad I listened to it. What you did Akko was very beautiful."

This makes Akko exhale relieved.

"I'm so happy you said that Sensei! I got inspired by you and your shows, so I wanted to do something similar. For you to say that you enjoyed my performance means the world to me."

"It meant the world to me to see it as well." Ursula gets closer to Akko and holds her hands. "Since you came to Luna Nova, Akko, you changed my life for the better. Before I was too afraid to be myself, to remember my past and the mistakes I did during my time as Chariot. I was not living but merely surviving. And then I met you. You reminded me of myself; of when I was younger and wanted to just make people happy. I was afraid of you for a while, because seeing you with the Shiny Rod brought back memories that I had spent years trying to forget. But you charmed me with that smile and determination. You asked me for help and I couldn't stop myself from giving it to you. I wanted you to succeed in your dream, and perhaps that way I was also making my dream true."

"Ursula Sensei…" Akko whispers completely moved.

"And what ended up happening was even greater than that. Not only did you make my dream come true, but you saved me from myself." she says happily to her student who is staring at her with big eyes.

"Sensei…" Akko whispers. "Hearing you say that to me, it's like a dream come true." she hugs the woman tightly. "Thank you for staying by my side." she separates from the older woman and takes out her wand. "So how about it, Sensei?"

"How about what, Akko?" Ursula chuckles.

"How about we both do wonderful magic today?" she gives the red-haired woman a bright smile and Ursula can't stop herself from joining her.

 _Are you starting to forgive yourself, Chariot?_

Maybe she was…

"Metamorphie Faciesse!"

LWALWALWALWA

"You've been spending a lot of time with Akko recently." Barbara tells her while following her closely.

They were on their way to class and it was true that it had been a while since she walked with Hannah and Barbara.

"She asked me for help and I accepted." Diana says simply.

"Is that really all? Some people are saying that you spend your nights together doing spells and laughing." Hannah adds as well. "And we know that you've been coming back from your rounds later than usual."

This makes Diana stop walking and stare at her 'friends'

"So what if I am?" she says solemnly. "It's no one's business what I do with my time and with whom I spent it with."

"But it's Akko!" Hannah says as if that's enough explanation.

"And you're a Cavendish. You can't be seen too much with witches like Akko who don't come from magical families." Barbara continues her friend's line of thought.

"I don't care about any of those things." Diana tells them firmly. "Akko is my friend and I will not stop talking to her just because of what some people may think about it."

"This is so unlike you Diana. Ever since you came back from your house things have changed."

"It's not like we're not grateful to Akko for bringing you back to Luna Nova, but you must realize that a friendship with her is just not possible for you." Barbara explains to her condescendingly.

"I will not let anyone dictate how I should be and what I should feel. I like Akko very much and I will not stop talking to her." Diana says firmly. "And if you can't accept and support my decision then that means you were never truly my friends."

"It's because we're your friends that we're telling you this!" Hannah exclaims but lowers her voice when people start staring at them. "Just trust us when we tell you that getting close to Akko is a bad idea."

There was something her friends were hiding from her.

"Why would you even say that? After what she did to save us all?"

"Listen, yes, she did that. But there are things that cannot be forgotten just because you happen to perform a heroic act." Barbara says calmly. "Like where she comes from and her family."

"Now that magic has returned to normality, families are starting to become more overzealous of people who don't come from magical roots. Since theoretically speaking, anyone with a magical artifact can use magic now, the magical families are arguing about reintroducing blood tests and rituals."

"What?!" Diana asks completely shocked.

Blood tests and blood rituals were part of the dark era of magic. They were done to bind magical beings into families and prevent them from acting against their leaders. If the practice were ever to be retaken, it would mean taking the freedom away from the witches and wizards that belonged to magical families.

"I heard my mother talking about it the other day when I went to town to meet her." Hannah explains to her. "You know that she works in the Ministry…" she looks down in worry. "And she's saying that a small faction inside the magical community is arguing in favor of this."

"It would start making sense to see groups of friends changing in school. I mean, they're even saying that's why Akko's old friends, Sucy and Lotte, started hanging out with others. Sucy's mom also works in the Ministry and she must have warned her daughter to stay away from Akko."

Diana could not believe what she was hearing. And yet, it made too much sense. It explained why Akko felt like people were judging her harshly, why her group was dissipating and why things outside Luna Nova didn't seem peaceful. Diana had been too distracted to notice these changes herself. She talked to her aunt, but since she never mentioned Akko to her it wouldn't have given her aunt enough reason to warn her about what was happening outside Luna Nova. And, based on all she was hearing, Diana was starting to believe that it was connected to breaking the Grand Triskellion's seal.

They had been so worried about bringing back magic that they never thought what would happen after magic came back.

"You know Diana that many of our parents work in some capacity for the Ministry." Barbara says softly. "And if our parents warned us about this, then it means that there's something else going on. Something dangerous…"

The blonde witch closes her eyes.

"I thank you for your warnings." she tells them softly. "But I have not changed my mind. I will not stop being Akko's friend just because of some old traditionalists feeling threatened by the new generation of witches and wizards."

"Diana!" Hannah berates her. "Don't try to be a hero and for once stop being stubborn!"

"I am afraid that's not who I am." Diana simply says and moves away from her friends. "Now if you'll excuse me…" she finishes and walks away from the classrooms.

There was something going on and she had to find out right now what it was.

LWALWALWALWA

"I feel terrible about this Sucy!" Akko could hear Lotte say from outside the door.

She felt awful about hiding and spying on her friends' conversation, but it was not her fault that she happened to forget some books she needed for her class when she left earlier.

Deciding that it was enough eavesdropping from her part, Akko almost opened the door.

"It's not fair that we're treating Akko this way when she has done nothing to us!" this makes Akko stop herself from going in.

"I don't like it either Lotte, but my mother warned me! She said that things outside Luna Nova are not the best and that I should stay here. She even prohibited me from going to town." Sucy says dejectedly.

"Did she at least tell you why?" Lotte asks sadly.

"She only said that some magicians are trying to bring back blood rituals and tests. And, that it was possible that the Ministry would allow this."

Blood rituals and tests… Akko had no idea what this was or what this had to do with her.

"That's horrible." Lotte whispers worriedly. "Many inside my family are not magical beings but use magical tools."

"It's very difficult to find pure modern magical families since many mixed after magic started disappearing. But since Akko restored magic, factions are arguing about bringing these old measures back."

So it was her fault?

"I don't like this Sucy! Akko doesn't deserve this!"

"What else are we supposed to do Lotte? Go get ourselves in danger and make our parents worry about our wellbeing? My mom begged me to do as she asked and she sounded completely terrified Lotte. I know that there's something else going on that she's not telling me but I can't ignore what she asked of me."

"It's not Akko's fault that she doesn't come from a magical family."

"Neither is it ours." Sucy whispers.

Akko had heard enough.

Opening the door, she notices Lotte and Sucy jump in surprise. Ignoring them and just going directly to her desk, she gathers her books and starts putting them in her bag.

"Good morning Akko." she hears Lotte tell her.

"Good morning Lotte." she simply says and gives them one last look before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Now everything made sense. Why people were not talking to her or getting close. Why they were only looking at her from afar and admiring her work while not trying to become friends. She had assumed that it had to do because of their prejudices towards her (that she couldn't do magic before) but the reality was that they were avoiding her because of where she came from.

Because she wasn't from a magical family.

Knowing that she was close to losing her composure, Akko was sure that going to class in this state would be a complete mistake. So, what she did instead was run towards her shelter, her safe place where she was loved and cherished for being herself.

To Ursula Sensei who understood and accepted her. Who perhaps even loved her.

But would Ursula Sensei also avoid her if she heard the rumors and things people were saying about her?

No, the feelings Ursula Sensei had shown her were things that could not be faked. She believed the red-haired woman and she was going to continue doing so until she was proven otherwise.

"Miss Kagari?" Akko stopped moving when she heard Professor Fineran addressing her.

"Yes?" she asks softly.

"Aren't you late for class?"

"I'm afraid I'm not feeling quite well." she whispers. "I was returning to my room." she lies a little.

"Wouldn't it be better then if you go to the nurse's office? Perhaps she can give you some herbs that will alleviate your pain?"

"It didn't occur to me…" she says and walks towards the infirmary. "Thank you for the suggestion Professor Fineran."

"Don't mention it." the older woman tells her softly. "Miss Kagari, things may seem a little difficult right now. And perhaps more hardships will come…" she warns her. "But I have seen firsthand how strong, although stubborn at times, you are. So, if the world is against you, then stand strong and strike back." she gives Akko a soft smile. "Even the past can learn things from the present."

Akko smiles softly at this.

"Thank you, Professor Fineran." she says honestly and watches the other woman leave her.

She was not going to let this stop her from becoming a witch that made people happy. She was not going to give up and she was going to continue learning. Turning around, Akko makes up her mind and decides to return to class.

She was going to show them all what she was capable of.

LWALWALWALWA

 _Why were they doing this now?_ Diana thinks while getting closer to the astronomy tower.

Blood magic and rituals had never been popular. Most of the traditionalist she knew were completely against using that type of magic because of its binding effects. So why were they even considering it now? That made Diana think about what Hannah and Barbara had told her earlier and how right they were about the Ministry's position.

Now that there was an overflow of magic, regulating it would only be possible by binding magical beings. And magical families did so by using blood magic. So, if the Ministry were to pass a law that enforced all magical families to perform the ritual then that would mean that from their side, magic would be regulated.

And yet Diana felt that this approach was completely wrong because it failed to consider the other side. It didn't control the fact that people without magic were now capable of using magic. And, this group was out of the Ministry's sphere of influence.

Finally getting to the tower, Diana notices Ursula Sensei walking towards the woods by herself and, although it surprises her, she doesn't plan on following her until she sees another Ursula leaving the tower and heading towards school. Worried about what was happening, Diana starts following the first Ursula and enters the woods. The moment she does, she senses magic and looks up to see two brooms coming down.

Confused by all of this, Diana waits for a couple of seconds and makes out two witches in formal clothes landing and leaving their brooms behind. Not familiar with who they are, the blonde girl realizes that they're following Ursula Sensei with their hand in their wands. As soon as this happens, the Ursula that had been inside the woods comes out from behind them and raises her wand.

"Desmemento!" the older witch says and a shot of light comes out of her wand straight to one of the witches in suits.

A forgetting spell…

The other, who noticed her partner being hit, evades the other spell that was heading towards her and starts moving her wand from left to right…

A paralyzing spell…

Before she can complete it by chanting the words, Diana takes out her own wand and comes out from behind the trees.

"Desmemento!" she says and her spell hits the witch straight in the chest.

Momentarily thinking about the repercussions that would come from her doing this, she sees Ursula Sensei getting close to her.

"Quickly, we must implant the memory we want them to remember."

"What do I want them to remember?" she asks desperately.

"That they followed Chariot to class and that nothing special happened apart from that." Ursula Sensei says and moves her wand. "Recordare Specifiti!"

She just said Chariot. The woman in front of her was not Ursula Sensei.

"Recordare Specifiti." Diana murmurs and after leaving the two women sitting next to a tree, she sees the older witch using her magic to take out the spell she placed on herself.

Long red hair starts transforming to a shorter lilac. Red eyes with the shape of stars become green and instead of her sweet Sensei in front of her there was now standing a familiar woman with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Croix Sensei." she says surprised about seeing her at Luna Nova. "You're here…"

"Hello Miss Cavendish." Croix tells her with a smile. "It has been a while."

"Indeed." Diana tells her with a soft smile. "Not that I'm not happy to see you're doing well, but would you kindly explain to me why we attacked these witches?"

Now that she thought about it, why were these witches who were not a part of Luna Nova here at the school?

"The Ministry sent witches to keep a watch on specific people at Luna Nova." Croix tells her calmly while heading back towards the astronomy tower. "Chariot noticed them earlier but couldn't exactly face them because of her position as a teacher."

 _(Flashback)_

 _"Croix, they're following me."_ she hears her friend tell her from her phone.

Well, that was quick…

"I haven't heard anything new concerning the terrorists." Croix tells her calmly. "Probably the Ministry sent those witches in case they needed to react quickly."

 _"I also noticed some witches looking at Akko after she left our lesson. When I mentioned this to Fineran she said that the Ministry had asked for permission to have these witches stay at Luna Nova. Something about their living quarters in town being under reparation…"_

"And Fineran bought it?" she chuckles while taking some ramens out of the microwave.

 _"Of course not. She said she didn't feel comfortable about this but that they couldn't refuse their request without a specific reason. I don't like this at all Croix."_ the younger woman whispers worriedly.

"I'm keeping an eye on conversations the Ministry is having with different factions officially and nothing stands out. Since I'm meant to be under house arrest, they don't let me communicate with people apart from my superiors." Croix closes her eyes and remembers something a guard had mentioned in front of her earlier. "Although, now that I think of it, I heard some rumors yesterday after I came back from Luna Nova but I just thought that they were not true. Something about the Master of Bloadell being granted an audience with the Prime Minister."

 _"The Master of Bloadell?!"_ Chariot asks her loudly. _"He's supposed to be dead!_ "

"I thought so as well…" Croix murmurs deeply worried. "But if the Ministry already has people inside the school then that means they're taking the threat seriously. A faction like the one owned by Bloadell would take advantage of the situation."

 _"Principal Holbrooke is also concerned about the way the Ministry is handling this. The older witches and professors are keeping watch at night and all students will be warned to travel in groups. Apart from that, there's nothing else we can do."_

"This is not good, Chariot… There are too many pieces moving at the same time…" Croix closes her eyes.

The resurgence of the antimagic group, the move done by the faction of Bloadell; none of them were a coincidence. It was all connected to the fact that magic had become available to everyone.

"Could it be that both are using Akko and the breaking of the seal as an excuse?" the lilac-haired woman says out-loud.

 _"Then the best response that the Ministry could have for both extremist groups is to give them Akko…"_ Chariot whispers from the other side of the line and Croix can hear how terrified her friend is feeling.

"I'm on my way." she promises her friend.

 _"But your arrest… If you leave they'll think you have escaped and they won't give you another chance…"_

"You are more important." the older woman says surely. "And I wouldn't be capable of staying here, doing nothing, while knowing that a young girl is in danger. Specially one that has forgiven and accepted me…"

 _"Croix…"_ Chariot whispers. "Does this mean that we leave tonight?"

"We leave tonight."

 _(End of Flashback)_

"Watching specific people? You mean Ursula Sensei?" Diana asks shocked. "Why would they even be watching her?"

"Who said they're only watching her? Haven't you noticed anything amiss Diana?" Croix asks her knowingly. "A reason why you're not at class and instead were coming to see Chariot?"

She knows what I talked about with Hannah and Barbara...

"You knew I was coming." Diana tells her quickly. "You heard my conversation and you knew I was planning on asking Ursula Sensei about the blood rituals…"

"I had my suspicions. When I came to Luna Nova yesterday, I installed microphones and cameras around campus." she lowers her head in a sign of apology. "Your acquaintances are not so far away from the truth, though. Things outside Luna Nova are becoming dangerous for witches. Specially for witches that do not come from magical families."

Witches from non-magical families.

Witches like Akko…

"What do you mean by that? Why make your appearance now? Did something happen?" Diana keeps asking questions.

"You mean you haven't heard?" Croix asks surprised. "I had assumed you would be on top of things, Diana." the older woman gives her a sad smile. "There has been the resurgence of a terrorist group who wants to use magic to destroy magic."

"Use magic to destroy magic…" she whispers worriedly. "Is that why there are witches from the Ministry? Why did we attack them, then?"

Croix gives her a sad smile again.

"Yes and no." the older woman says cryptically. "They're not here to protect you. They're here to take someone away. And the reason I'm here is because I've come to stop them from doing so."

They're here to take someone. Someone that is connected to Ursula Sensei and that she cares enough about to ask Croix Sensei for help. Someone who comes from a non-magical family who is in this school. Someone who had been involved in this whole thing since the beginning.

Diana knew very well who this person was…

She was terrified of confirming it, but she had to.

"Who are you talking about, Sensei?" she whispers brokenly.

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet Diana?" the older woman asks her softly, as if knowing the girl in front of her wanted to be proved wrong. "The reason why the Ministry is here; they've come to take Akko, and Chariot and I are going to prevent that from happening."


	5. I Promised

Ursula and Croix explain everything to Diana while Akko realizes that there's someone out there who wants to hurt her and the people she loves.

* * *

Although Akko was slower than most to notice things, it didn't take her too much to realize that there was something going on at Luna Nova. The professors were trying to act is if nothing had changed, but the new witches that were now making rounds around the school said otherwise. While the rest of girls at school were keeping quiet or stayed silent and tried not to bring attention to themselves, Akko decided to do the opposite. She wanted to learn and hence she continued acting as if there was nothing wrong. Nobody approached her, and while it hurt her to see this, she was expecting it. She had heard how scared Sucy and Lotte sounded and she didn't want them to be hurt because of her. So, in the end, it was better for them to avoid her.

Another thing that Akko noticed was that Diana was absent. She had missed all of her classes and that scared the brunette witch. She knew how dedicated and committed her friend was to the school and her academics. So, for her to miss class then that could only mean that she was not feeling well. Her worry overriding her common sense, she decided to approach Hannah and Barbara and ask them about Diana.

She had to know that her friend was alright.

"Excuse me…" she says carefully to the two witches who look up and flinch when they realize it's her that's talking to them. "Could we speak for a moment?"

"Why would we even talk to you?" Hannah is the first one that answers her.

"Yeah, there's nothing for us to talk about." Barbara adds worriedly.

"I know we're not friends or anything like that." Akko closes her eyes so she can keep her calm. "But Diana didn't come to class today and I'm worried. Is she alright?"

This makes the two witches from Diana's group stare angrily at her.

"Are you really asking us that?" the dark-haired girl laughs bitterly. "Of course she's not alright!"

Diana was ill? Was she hurt?

"What? Is she hurt?" the brunette witch asks worriedly.

"Not right now, but she will be." Hannah warns her. "As long as she keeps talking and being with you she'll be in danger…"

 _She'll be in danger because of me…_

"I don't understand." Akko whispers heartbroken.

"You mean you haven't realized it yet? Why people are avoiding you?" Barbara says pitifully. "It's because of your blood, Akko. You're not a true witch, and right now, it's dangerous to be friends with people like you. Specially for people like Diana that come from powerful families."

"Because of my blood…"

"And although we warned Diana about this, she refuses to listen to us because she's too proud and stubborn enough to not stay away from you." Hannah says angrily. "So do her a favor and stop seeking her out. Stop talking to her. Stop seeing her."

 _Diana doesn't want to stop seeing me, she wants to stay with me…_

"If it's true that you care about her then you'll do what we just told you to do." Barbara adds softly. "Because right now, Diana could be hurt if she stays close to you."

Closing her eyes and doing her best to not cry in front of these girls, she only nods in understanding and runs away from them, choosing to ignore the eyes that she knows are on her.

Although Diana had promised her that she would stay, Akko was not selfish enough to make her do so when it was dangerous for the blonde. She cared too much about Diana to even ask that of her friend. Everything around her was messed up. The school didn't feel safe anymore, the people were being mean and hurtful because of their fear and Akko was starting to think that perhaps restoring magic had not been the right thing to do. Perhaps the world wasn't ready for magic to become available to everyone. Because, instead of bringing out the best feelings and actions out of people it was doing the opposite. Akko had no idea what was going on, but if it meant that what was happening outside could hurt the people inside Luna Nova then that definitely meant danger.

Running as far away as she could from the school, Akko noticed that she was being followed by the new witches that she had not recognized. And, although the brunette was fast, the older women had the advantage because they were using their brooms. Cursing softly, Akko knows that whatever reason they had for chasing her, it was not a good idea to get caught. So, after closing her eyes and concentrating on her spell, Akko opened her eyes and moved her wand vertically.

"Metamorphie Faciesse!" Akko screams and feels the magic flowing through her body.

"Quick, she transformed!" she can hear one of the witches say while pushing their brooms forward.

Akko, who had turned into a centaur (thank you Ursula Sensei) was now galloping through the school grounds, moving from side to side in order to dodge the spells that were being thrown at her. Using her top body, Akko moved around and muttering some words, she starts moving her wand from left to right.

"Memento Perpetuo!" she chants the words and sees her spell successfully hit and paralyze one of the flying witches.

"Desmaio!" another spell flies her way and would have almost hit her were it not for building in front of her.

The astrology tower…

 _I'm so close…_

"Recuperpero!" Akko feels the spell hitting her and can't stop her own hand from loosening and letting go her wand, which in turn makes her turn back to her normal self.

"Got you!" one of the witches exclaims darkly and Akko knows that it's all over…

LWALWALWALWA

Akko was in danger…

The reason why the witches from the Ministry were here was because they came to get Akko…

Closing her eyes at hearing the news, Diana feels like tears will start falling from her eyes. When did things become this complicated? Why did Akko, who was the most innocent and pure person she had ever known, had to suffer all of this? Diana was angry. At the world for not understanding the gift Akko had given them. For not understanding her and her way of being. Instead, what they were now doing was persecuting her because of her blood and the convenience that she was a non-traditional witch.

"Diana?!" she hears a familiar voice ask worriedly while stopping in front of her. "Are you alright?"

Looking up, Diana finally let's go of the tears she's holding at bay when she sees Ursula Sensei standing in front of her. Seeking her arms for comfort, she's relieved when the older woman doesn't reject her but instead embraces her tightly.

"Akko…" she hiccups while grasping her mentor tightly. "Why?"

"I know…" Ursula tells her softly while handing something to Croix Sensei who takes it without saying a word. "Don't worry Diana. I will protect Akko."

 _Ursula Sensei says she will protect Akko._

 _But I want to be the one that protects Akko._

 _I promised…_

The memory of this promise, of her time with Akko learning spells and watching her grow, is what makes Diana become determined and stop crying over things that she could no longer change. Because if there was one thing that Diana had very clear was her intention to stay and protect Akko. And, in order to that she needed a clear head.

Taking a deep breath, Diana squeezes Ursula one more time before creating some distance between them.

"What is your plan?" she asks the red-haired woman strongly. "What is happening outside Luna Nova? she turns to look at Croix. "And how did you call her back?"

Croix chuckles.

"You asked too many questions Diana." the lilac-haired woman tells her while getting close and grabbing her hand. "I'm afraid that I didn't give you all of the information Chariot and I have gathered when we fought those witches."

"I asked her to wait because I believe that I should be the one telling you what's happening since it is connected to the Shiny Rod and the 7 words." Ursula gives her a sad smile and takes out a cube like the ones Croix Sensei used. "While you were attacked, Croix contacted me and told me to come see you."

"I didn't even notice…" Diana whispers confused.

"I knew you would have questions the moment I told you that Akko was in danger." Croix tells her understandingly. "Another reason why Chariot wanted to be the one telling you this is because it has to do with old magic. Unfortunately, I'm not as good as Chariot when it comes to the subject."

"You mean blood magic and rituals." the student starts connecting the dots.

"Indeed." Ursula says calmly. "After Akko and you opened the seal of the Grand Triskellion, an overflow of magic was created. During all this time, Croix has been working for the Ministry investigating the phenomenon and now that the Sorcerer's Stones are no longer necessary, anyone that possesses a magical artifact can do magic."

"Outside Luna Nova, things have not been peaceful. Thanks to this new quantity of magic, hidden factions started to arise and perform terrorist acts. One of them is using magical artifacts to eliminate magic." Croix uses her wand and shows them a tape of the attack. "By abducting witches and fairies, this group is asking for the elimination of magic once and for all."

"What does this have to do with Akko?" Diana asks worriedly.

"What you did with the missile, it was shown to the whole world..." her mentor simply says.

"Which means that they believe we are the ones responsible for bringing back magic." the blonde witch realizes what is happening. "But then wouldn't that also make me one of their targets?"

"I'm afraid things are not like that." Croix tells her sadly. "In our world, blood matters. The families from where we come from matter. And you, Diana, come from a very old and powerful one."

This makes Diana freeze in shock.

"While the Ministry would never consider negotiating with terrorists, another faction inside the magic world is taking advantage of the situation and arguing for the reintroduction of blood magic. Because of the attacks, the amount of magic available and the impossibility to control who is using it, binding magic is becoming a popular proposal that the Ministry is willing to listen." Ursula adds somberly.

"Unfortunately, both groups are blaming the people responsible for bringing magic back as the catalyst of their actions. Which in return means that your positions inside the magical world have become compromised." Croix finishes mournfully.

"You mean Akko's…" Diana says bitterly and both women stare at her knowingly. "The Ministry would never dare touch me because of my family. The traditionalist faction would also do the same for the very same reason." she chuckles somberly. "Meaning that Akko is the perfect pawn for them to use."

 _Meaning that nothing will happen to me…_

"Diana…" Ursula says while trying to get close because she can see how much this has affected her.

"This is bullshit…" the blonde witch whispers and again she feels bitter tears falling from her eyes. "It is not fair."

Ursula and Croix look down because the young girl is right.

"Sensei, does this mean that will you take Akko away?" Diana whispers brokenly.

"I'm afraid there's no other choice." Ursula tells her dejectedly. "She's not safe anywhere that has the influence of the Ministry."

"But this is not her fault!" the blonde woman loses control of herself. "Why must she suffer all of this when she has done nothing wrong?! Who cares about where she comes from or the magic she does! That doesn't make Akko become any less worthy than the rest of us."

"We agree." Croix tells her calmly. "Which is why we're doing this. Until the Ministry reconsiders things or manages to capture the leaders of the terrorist group, we'll keep Akko away from all of this."

"But what about the witches that are guarding Luna Nova?"

Ursula gets close to Diana and grabs her hands.

"The main reason I left my tower today was because I wanted to talk to some allies." she then looks at Croix. "Holbrooke and Fineran will back us and help us in case we need them."

"I wouldn't have expected anything else from them." Croix gives them a sad smile. "That only leaves us to go get Akko and create an exit plan. The three of us must leave tonight if we want to make this work."

The three of us…

They were not planning on taking her.

"I'm going with you." Diana interrupts them.

"Diana…" Ursula says carefully.

"You cannot stop me from going Sensei. I respect you, but I will not break the promise I made with Akko. Not when she needs me the most." she whispers the last part.

"Diana, this is not something that we can just simply talk about. You are safe. Leaving Luna Nova will place you in danger and far away from the protection of the school and your family."

"I don't care Sensei." the blonde witch says determined. "I will not leave Akko. I cannot stay here and act like nothing is happening when I know that her life is in danger."

"Diana…" the red-haired woman is ready to say but stops talking when Croix grabs her hand.

"Chariot… Do you honestly think that she won't find a way to follow us if we make her stay here?" the older witch chuckles knowingly and gets closer to her friend so that the young witch doesn't hear what she plans on saying. "And, do you really expect her to just stay behind while the person she loves is in danger?

This makes Ursula stare at Diana and agree with what Croix was telling her. She could understand her student. She was now doing the exact same thing for Akko. And, she had done the exact same thing many years ago for the girl she loved.

Closing her eyes in acceptance, Ursula was going to allow Diana to come and tell her what to do. But, before she could even speak, the cube that Croix had given her started to blink in shades of red.

"The alarm…" Croix whispers worriedly and immediately uses her wand to create a map.

"The magic, where is it coming from?" Ursula panics and grabs her wand. "Diana, take out your wand and broom quickly."

Diana does so right away.

"The source of magic is coming from behind the Astronomy tower." the lilac-haired witch informs them and takes out a broom. "Quick, get on." she says to Ursula who does so immediately.

"Did you calibrate the cube to react to a specific amount of magic?" Diana asks Croix.

"Yes…" Croix says and then moves around so that Ursula is the one driving the broom. "I made it so that the cube would react when spells that have not been covered by Luna Nova students were used." she takes out her wand and starts muttering some words. "I also installed cameras that would turn on the moment the magic was activated." she explains to Diana who gets closer so she can see what's going on.

"Those are witches from the Ministry." she says worriedly and notices them chasing a person who was running away from them.

Diana knew that style of running very well…

"They're chasing Akko!" she screams and both brooms start flying faster than before.

"Akko was the one that activated the cube." Croix informs them while keeping an eye on things. "She transformed into a centaur."

"Because Akko cannot fly." Diana whispers and ignoring the yells from Ursula and Croix she goes ahead of them.

She must save Akko.

LWALWALWALWA

 _So is this the way I go?_ Akko thinks bitterly while tears start falling from her eyes.

She had still so many things to do. So much magic to learn and places to see. She had left so many things unsaid…

To Ursula Sensei…

To Diana…

She had not told them how thankful she was for all they had done for her. For the love and loyalty they had shown her and the faith they had in her. Akko was shaking from the anger at knowing that she was never going to tell Diana all she had wanted to tell her.

But perhaps things would be better this way. With her gone, Diana would be safe and that was what mattered the most to her. And, as long as Ursula and Diana had each other then they would get through it. She was not worried about that.

"You used some pretty special spells little girl." one of the witches tells her while moving her wand around her face. "Managed to hit some of my friends. Not bad for a fake witch."

"You were chasing me first." Akko says bitterly and feels a hand slapping her face.

"Stop Lucy." another witch prevents the first one from hitting her again and Akko realizes that this one is the boss. "I apologize for my coworker's rude actions." she continues saying and the way she moves seems familiar to the brunette witch.

"Why are you apologizing to her!? She's just scum." the first witch says and Akko closes her eyes in expectation of another hit.

What happens instead, is that she hears a familiar voice calling to her.

 _She came for me…_

"Shield!" Diana screams from her broom and Akko stretches and grabs her wand from one of the witches in front of her.

"Bartego!" she screams at the same time Diana uses a spell to move the earth and a shield is created around her.

Feeling the earth shaking under her, Akko can see that all the witches have lost their balance and are doing their best to not fall to the ground. Looking up, the brunette witch notices Diana moving side to side chanting and throwing spells at the witches that are trying their best to fight her. When one spells gets too close, Akko stands up and takes away her shield.

"Gravitates!" she says and can feel herself floating.

Although moving from side to side was difficult, Akko had the advantage that if she stayed still, she could point her wand at the witches under.

"Memento perpetuo!" Akko screams and her spell hits one of them.

"Desmaio!" Diana screams from her broom and moves closer to where Akko is.

Knowing that she had to get to Diana, after noticing that there no witches around her and that Diana had let go of the earth spell, Akko relaxes and falls to the ground so she can run towards her friend.

"Akko!" the blonde witch says while closing the distance between them.

"Diana!" the brunette witch screams and is ready to hug her friend when she sees one of the witches standing up and pointing her wand at Diana.

"Castigus Relapsus!" the witch screams and Akko turns around so that the spell hits her instead of Diana.

"Bartego!" two familiar voices scream and both girls are protected from the spell.

Looking at the two witches that were getting down from the broom, Akko feels tears pouring from her eyes.

"Ursula Sensei, Croix Sensei…" she whispers relieved and starts feeling the exhaustion from performing too many spells at once.

"Akko." Diana says worriedly and holds her close while the brunette witch closes her eyes.

"Sorry we're late girls." Croix apologizes while carefully placing herself next to Ursula. "We had to get rid of some witches that were coming your way." she then stares at the witch that was pointing their wand at all of them. "It's a surprise to see you here."

"Damn you Croix!" the woman screams bitterly and then looks at Ursula. "You're not even supposed to be here!"

"I'm disappointed to see you are Helen." Ursula says intensely. "Attacking a young witch with a spell like that…"

"I was ordered to!" the witch from the Ministry says surely. "That little girl forced me to do so when she tried to escape us."

"She's innocent." Croix adds and to Diana it seems that those three know each other. "Let Akko go."

"I cannot do that." Helen informs them firmly while pointing her wand at them. "I was ordered by the Ministry to keep an eye on her and use force if necessary."

"Then we'll use force as well." Ursula says and Croix and her also raise their wands.

"Enough!" a firm voice says and all witches feel their wands falling from their hands.

"Principal Holbrooke…" Diana whispers while watching the three older witches doing their best to get their wands.

"This is far enough." the green-haired woman informs them and looks at the witch from the Ministry. "You just attacked a student from Luna Nova with a forbidden spell."

This makes Helen look away from the scene.

"You three…" Principal Holbrook says to Diana, Ursula and Croix. "Take Miss Kagari to the infirmary because she has run out of magic."

"I cannot let that girl leave." Helen interrupts the older woman. "Because of her hostility I'm forced to take her to the Ministry."

"You attacked her first!" Diana screams and raises her wand so she can use it.

"Miss Cavendish!" the older woman scolds her. "I'm aware of what happened." she says calmly. "And as long as I don't get an official letter from the Prime Minister, Miss Kagari will not be relinquished to Miss Manbavaran."

"So you'll directly act against the orders of the Ministry?" Helen asks menacingly.

"I explained to you that the moment I get a letter from your superior I'll collaborate. Miss Kagari is a student of Luna Nova and shall be protected just like any other student. Surely you are not against that, correct?"

This makes Helen close her eyes and take a deep breath before putting her wand away.

"I'll come back with that letter." she promises and gives one more look at Ursula and Croix before ordering her witches to get out.

The moment she's away, Ursula immediately relaxes her stance and runs towards Diana and Akko, the first one keeping the brunette witch close to her.

"Akko!" Ursula says with tears in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

This makes Akko open her eyes and give her mentor a shiny smile.

"How could I not be Sensei?" she then looks at Diana who is holding her head and caressing her hair. "You kept your promise."

"Of course I did Akko." the blonde witch whispers and kisses her friend's cheek lovingly. "I will always protect you."


	6. I Didn't Ask You to Do This

Following the blonde witch who was using her magic to open all the doors in the school, Croix is doing her best to keep a hold on the brunette girl in her arms. She had checked the level of magic that Akko had inside her and was worried when the quantity was too low. Of course, knowing that made Chariot completely freak out and become a mess, which in turn meant that she was the one carrying Akko towards the infirmary.

Chariot loved that girl too much…

And yet Croix could understand her very well.

Because she had grown fond of her too…

 _(Flashback)_

Feeling her hands numb from the shackles that had been placed on her, Croix is quietly contemplating what had just occurred hours earlier. Her magic had failed, Chariot had saved her and Akko had proved her wrong. Had shown her that believing and faith could truly make the world a better place. That, in return, had made Croix reconsider her whole life and her purpose. She had promised to become the best witch in order to break the seal of the Grand Triskellion.

She had achieved neither.

So where did that leave her? What was she going to do now?

Closing her eyes at the amount of insecurities that were starting to take a hold of her, it takes her a while to notice that she has a visitor in her temporary cell.

"Akko…" Croix whispers while the young girl gives her a soft smile.

"Croix Sensei." the brunette says simply. "I'm sorry for intruding."

"Don't apologize." she chuckles. "I was not having very pleasant thoughts, so thank you for the interruption."

"I wanted to talk to you."

Croix gives her a sad smile.

"I should be the one doing the talking, Akko… I want to apologize to you. For using you and endangering you. I can't give you enough reasons or arguments as to why I did it, but I was too blinded by my hatred and fear that I lost my way a long time ago." she says bitterly. "I don't even understand why you would continue to call me Sensei after what I almost did to you."

"I still call you that because I consider you my Sensei, Sensei." Akko keeps smiling at her. "I will not tell you that what you did was right. But I will also not judge you for it. The rod…" she smiles warmly. "It showed me memories of Chariot. I could see her as if I was a spectator of her growth. And it confused me to see things this way. But now I understand why. The rod was showing me your memories of Chariot, Sensei. How you saw and thought of her. How she captivated you with her magic and how you helped her each step of the way…"

"Akko…" Croix whispers brokenly.

"You loved her very much, Croix Sensei. That's why the rod kept those memories; because they were honest and true. What happened afterwards…" Akko says sadly. "Is something that came from your jealousy and fear of watching Chariot succeed. Of believing that she would stop needing you after she found all the words."

 _Could this little girl be right?_

"But Sensei, Chariot is still here. She came for you. She saved you. After all the things that happened between the two of you, she stayed by your side and helped you. So wouldn't that mean Sensei that you were wrong? That Chariot was not with you because of your magic but because she cared?"

 _Chariot had stayed…_

 _Chariot was not the one that abandoned her when the Shiny Rod disappeared._

 _Croix had been the one that abandoned her…_

Croix looks up at the girl in front of her with tears in her eyes and can't stop herself from sobbing. Immediately, she feels strong arms holding her close in a warm embrace.

"It's all over Croix Sensei. There's no longer a need for anyone to break the seal. Your goal was achieved, and now, you can go ahead and be happy." Akko whispers to her. "I forgive you." she finishes saying and this makes the older woman sob desperately.

 _It was all over…_

 _(End of Flashback)_

"Nurse!" Chariot screams while entering the infirmary and helping Diana lower Akko to the bed. "She has lost most of her magic and needs a magic transfusion."

"Understood." the older woman says while taking her wand and a green rock out of her pocket. "It would be best for you to wait outside since you could absorb the magic from the rock."

"Come on Chariot, let's go." Croix goes to grab her friend's hand and pull her away. "You too Diana." she has to do the same with the girl that has tears falling from her eyes.

"She'll be fine, right?" the blonde witch whispers worriedly.

"Don't worry." Principal Holbrook is the one that answers her confidently. "The moment Akko recovers her magic she'll be completely fine."

"Thank you for helping us earlier." Croix thanks her professor who merely nods and the four of them leave the infirmary.

"Principal Holbrook…" Ursula whispers while sitting outside the door and grabbing her friend's hand so she does the same. "What happened with the witches from the Ministry?"

"They've returned to their rooms. Miss Manbavaran has gone to the Ministry to obtain the letter."

"That gives us roughly four hours."

"Patricia is very good at what she does." the principal says of the head nurse. "She'll have Miss Kagari healed in one hour."

"If you hadn't stopped that fight earlier…" Croix murmurs dejectedly. "We would have aggravated Akko's position and condition."

"It wouldn't have done anyone any good to injure a member of the Ministry." the older woman closes her eyes. "You four are no longer safe in Luna Nova."

"Diana too?" Ursula asks shocked.

"Diana is a Cavendish." Croix adds bewildered. "Have things become so terrible that they're now willing to use her as well?"

"Nothing of the sort." Principal Holbrook appeases them. "But she directly intervened. The Ministry will wish to take her away so she doesn't get involved in the matter. Plus, I don't consider it wise for Miss Cavendish to accept their 'protection' when it's obvious that she's close to Miss Kagari."

"If Akko knew that Diana would be in the Ministry's hands she wouldn't leave her alone." Ursula agrees with the older woman.

"So this means that you'll become a fugitive Diana." Croix tells her seriously. "Your family may suffer from your actions and your name will be compromised."

Diana simply stares at her determinedly.

"Akko is more important than my name and my status in the magical community." she says firmly. "Besides, those witches won't get away with hurting her." she adds somberly and Croix chuckles.

"Then let's make sure we kick those witches' asses when we make our leave."

LWALWALWALWA

Opening her eyes, it takes Akko a while to realize where she is. Confused, she looks around and notices that she's in the infirmary. Trying to remember why she would be here, the events that had occurred earlier start flashing through her eyes and that's when she realizes that she had been in danger.

But then Diana had come to save her…

"Diana!" Akko screams while trying to move from the bed but is stopped by two strong hands.

"I'm here." she sees blue eyes softly staring at her and that's all it takes for her to start crying.

"Don't cry…" the blonde witch whispers to her while wiping her tears away.

"You came for me…" Akko chokes out and only stops shaking when her friend holds her tight.

"I promised you I would Akko." Diana says firmly. "That I would always stay by your side."

"But that puts you in danger…" the brunette says while separating from the blonde witch. "Being with me will only bring you pain Diana."

"That's wrong." she says immediately.

"They were coming after me, not you." Akko closes her eyes because although she was alright she was still feeling tired. "Because of my family and my blood."

"That doesn't matter to me Akko. It never did." Diana argues softly. "Please, don't push me away. Not now…" she whimpers the last part.

This makes Akko stare at her friend confused.

"Why do you care so much about me?" she asks brokenly. "I'm just a girl who dreams of being a witch that most of the times can't get her spells right."

"I care because of all those things. Because you're you." Diana smiles sadly at her and gets close enough to caress her nose. "Because you're the only person that truly understands me and likes me for who I truly am. The only one who really knows me." she kisses Akko's cheek and notices her blush. "Don't you feel the same way?"

 _I feel so much more…_ Akko thinks but then remember what Hannah and Barbara said to her.

"I care about you too." Akko hiccups and raises her eyes so Diana can see her. "Which is why I don't want you to get hurt. Can't you see? Your life is more important than mine Diana."

This makes Akko receive a soft slap.

"Never say that again." her friend tells her angrily and all Akko can do is nod in understanding. "You Akko, you mean so much to so many people. Tell me, do you think Ursula Sensei would be ok with hearing you say that?"

Akko looks away in embarrassment.

"Look at me Akko." Diana tells her firmly. "There's nothing you can do about having people that want to keep you safe. Just like you would do if one of us were in trouble, you must now accept our help and allow us to keep you safe."

"But…" Akko tries to argue but is stopped by having a soft hand pressing her mouth.

"No more arguments…" her friend says determinedly. "You cannot stop us from wanting to help you."

"Us?" she asks confused and that's when the door of the infirmary opens.

Akko quickly tries to stand up to cover Diana but finds her body cannot move.

"Relax Akko…" Diana whispers to her soothingly. "You used too much magic and your body is trying to recover."

"It's actually quite surprising to see the amount of magic you were able to use and the spells you were able to produce." Akko hears a familiar voice say to her and sees Ursula and Croix Sensei coming inside the room "You've improved so much since the last time we spoke."

"Croix Sensei…" she whispers happily and then looks at her mentor who was doing her best to not run towards her. "Ursula Sensei…" she opens her arms and that's all it takes for the older woman to lose her composure.

"Oh Akko!" the red-haired woman says relieved while holding her close. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"All thanks to you." she says relieved and squeezes her tightly, using the chance to look at Croix who gives her a soft smile. "You too…" she mouths and knows the older woman understands her when she bows her head.

"I was so worried!" Ursula continues saying while using her wand to check Akko for injuries.

"The nurse already said that she was alright." Croix tells her friend soothingly. "She defended herself really well."

"Why did those witches attack me?" Akko asks somberly. "I didn't do anything that would force them to do so."

"Those witches…" Ursula says softly. "They work for the Ministry. They've been staying at Luna Nova because they were ordered to keep a watch on you. Because the Ministry is interested in you Akko."

"Interested?" the brunette asks while looking at Diana who avoids her eyes. "You know what they mean…" she closes her eyes when her friend doesn't deny this. "Please tell me."

Diana takes a deep breath.

"It's because of what you said earlier. Because of your blood." the blonde witch says angrily. "They want you because you're not part of a magical family and they may need to use you as a bargain tool."

"A bargain tool?" Akko whispers.

"Things outside Luna Nova have not been peaceful." Croix tells her softly. "A new terrorist group has started to use the overflow of magic created after breaking the seal of the Grand Triskellion to hurt people. Because of this, old factions from the magical world have started to argue that we need to reintroduce blood tests and rituals."

This was what Lotte and Sucy had talked about earlier…

"Blood tests and rituals were used during the dark times by magical families to ensure that their members would remain loyal to the leader of the family." Ursula explains to her. "By binding the magic of the individuals that performed the ritual, the head of family could have absolute control of their magic."

"That's horrible…" Akko whispers terrified. "Why would people want to start using that again?"

"Because they're scared. They think that by limiting who can use magic they can stop these attacks. But the thing is that magic now can be used by anyone who possesses magical artifacts."

"So the blood rituals and tests would only hurt people from our society." Diana says bitterly. "Nowadays, most families have members that do not come from magical families. We mixed after the end of the dark ages."

"What do I have to do in all of this?" the brunette witch asks somberly.

"The Ministry recently received a set of demands from the terrorist organization responsible of creating chaos. One of them was to give them the witches responsible of breaking the seal of the Grand Triskellion." Croix informs her seriously.

 _"We believe that it's too much of a coincidence that the traditionalist faction started to ask for the blood_ rituals just when the terrorists became active. The two of them must be working together in some way or benefiting from each other." the red-haired witch adds while looking at Akko. "Which means that you're in danger."

"Because they would never dare go against Diana." Akko smiles relieved. "Since she's a Cavendish, the Ministry would never hand her to the terrorist group and the traditionalist faction wouldn't either."

"While that may have been true before this incident, now Diana could be in danger as well." Croix says carefully.

"Why?!" Akko says stressed and tries to stand up from her bed. "Aren't I enough?! Why are they now coming after her?"

"Because I intervened." Diana says solemnly. "Today, when I saved you, I acted against the Ministry and they can use that against me. To arrest me."

"Why would you even do that?!" the brunette witch screams bitterly. "Why put your safety on the line for someone like me?"

"How can you even say that?!" Diana says angrily. "Of course I would put my safety on the line for you."

 _Because I love you…_

"Because you would do the same for me if our positions were reversed, right?!" the blonde witch argues and Akko can't refute this because her friend is right.

"I'm sorry you had to do that for me." Akko whispers brokenly. "Being my friend truly hurts you."

"No, it doesn't. And even if it did, it is my choice to stay by your side. You would say the same thing, right?"

Again, Akko looks away from her.

"It's not fair you keep using that against me…" she murmurs embarrassed. "I'm dumb and impatient Diana. You're supposed to be better than me."

"It seems that when it comes to situations when it's you who is involved I'm not." Diana says with a soft smile and this makes her friend blush profusely.

Knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop Diana from coming, Akko stares at Ursula and Croix Sensei who are trying their best to not smile at the situation.

"It's not funny." she says while blushing.

"It is a little." Croix responds and this time both women chuckle.

"She's as stubborn as you are Akko." Ursula adds while looking at Diana who was also blushing. "You need your friends Akko. Now more than ever." she says softly. "Accept their help, don't question it and protect it."

Nodding in acceptance, Akko stretches her hand and her mentor knows that she wants a reassuring touch.

Grabbing Akko's hand, she gives her a confident smile.

"I will not leave you alone Akko." Ursula promises her immediately.

"I cannot ask you to do that for me Sensei."

"There's no way you can't convince us to not help you." Croix adds as well. "Besides, how will you know where to go? We're the ones with the plan and the way to escape Luna Nova."

This makes Akko close her eyes and accept that she couldn't do anything to prevent them from coming.

"I guess you're right about that." the young witch whispers. "When do we leave?"

"Tonight." Ursula Sensei simply says and Akko immediately looks at Diana.

"I'm going too." she reaffirms. "And, just like I told Ursula Sensei earlier, if you don't take me with you then I'll find a way on my own."

"You're so stubborn!" Akko murmurs while feeling her friend's hand grabbing her other hand. "Are you sure?" she whispers dejectedly. "I don't want you to hate me."

"Akko, I could never hate you." Diana says truthfully.

 _Because I love you too much…_


	7. Escape from Luna Nova

Diana had little time to gather the stuff Akko and her would need for their escape. After finally getting Akko to accept her help and involvement, it didn't take them too long to learn the plan Ursula and Croix had been orchestrating since yesterday afternoon when the lilac-haired witch arrived to Luna Nova.

 _(Flashback)_

"So you knew about this…" Akko says a little hurt to the older women who simply nod.

"In a way…" Ursula tells her student apologetically. "We didn't know how far the rumors had spread inside Luna Nova and that it was hurting you like this. Only last night we realized that it had to with the blood rituals and the Ministry."

"We were originally planning on keeping an eye on you. When we thought that the only threat out there was the terrorist group, we thought about asking Diana to help us since you two are close enough." Croix adds as well.

"They didn't want to add things to make you worry Akko." Diana grabs her hand warmly. "Not when overthinking and worrying makes you nervous enough that your magic stops working."

Diana was right… Akko knew that her magic failed her when she overthought the spells and the situations she would need to use it.

Like in tests and homework.

But, it came naturally to her when she needed it to. When she just had to react and perform. Like when she was with Ursula Sensei learning a new spell or when she fought those witches.

"I understand…" Akko says defeatedly. "I don't like it, but you're right that when I get stressed and worried my magic fails me. Most probably not knowing is what helped me escape today's incident."

"I am sorry we didn't tell you Akko." Ursula looks down ashamed. "But if it helped you escape then I don't regret it."

"Neither do I Sensei." she gives her mentor a soft smile and this relaxes the mood of the room.

"So now that we have all forgiven each other and are friends again…" Croix succeeds in making them all chuckle. "How about we plan our escape?"

"Diana would need to go gather some clothes and basic things for you." Ursula tells Akko. "We won't return to Luna Nova until the leaders of the terrorist group are captured and the traditionalist faction's motion is denied."

"And how long would that take?" Akko asks worriedly.

"We don't know." Croix is the one that answers her. "Maybe soon, maybe later…"

"It took years for the Ministry to realize that this terrorist group has been acting against them." Diana adds bitterly. "And, since right now they're also worried about the traditionalist faction, it wouldn't be wrong to assume that it's going to take them a while to fix things."

"All that time away from Luna Nova…" she stares at Ursula Sensei. "Your work…"

"The school can manage without me." the red-haired woman tells her immediately. "Professor Fineran and Principal Holbrook are on your side."

"Then what about you Croix Sensei? If you leave your position at the Ministry then they will think you have escaped. Your sentence then will become worse!"

"Already thought about it." Croix gives her a soft smile. "And I know everything will be cleared the moment we explain to the Ministry why I had to take a leave of absence. Once your position is secured, I'll return to continue my sentence."

Finally Akko stares at Diana.

"Coming to Luna Nova was your dream Diana." she whispers softly. "And now you're just going to leave? All because of me?"

"My dream Akko has always been to make magic accessible to the world, to show people that witches are not evil and that we can live alongside one another. The way the Ministry is handling things is not the right way, nor introducing blood rituals will make things better. It goes completely against what it means to be a witch." she says passionately to her friend. "But, the most important reason is that you're the one being hunted, Akko. And I will protect you. Always." she vows and again notices the brunette blush profusely.

"Nothing you tell us will make us change our mind Akko." Ursula gives her a soft smile.

"I can see that." the brunette witch murmurs. "Doesn't mean I won't try."

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't." Croix tells her warmly. "Always getting involved in other people's business."

"I find it endearing." Diana adds to further increase Akko's embarrassment.

"You see Akko, you've helped all of us in some way." her mentor tells her happily. "So now let us return the favor."

"Trust me, this plan will definitely work." the lilac-haired woman gives them all a wicked smile and Diana knows that means trouble.

 _(End of Flashback)_

Getting closer to Akko's room, Diana hopes that none of Akko's friends are in her room. The faster she gets to grab what she needs, the better for the three other witches who were waiting for her in the Astronomy Tower.

Unluckily, when she knocks she hears steps coming from inside the room.

"Yes?" she sees Lotte opening the door to the room. "Diana?" she asks surprised.

"Miss Yanson." she greets her. "Would it be ok for me to enter?"

"Of course…" the blonde witch gives her space and she quickly notices that Sucy is there as well.

Her sister, Helen, is the one that works for the Ministry and the leader of the witches that attacked them.

 _Could she possibly know about what was happening with Akko? Would she let her sister know about her presence here?_

"Diana." Sucy says simply. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get some of Akko's things."

"Why?" the pink-haired witch asks her carefully.

"She won't be staying in this room any longer." she says and it's not exactly a lie but also not the truth. "From this moment on, Akko will be staying with me."

"Akko asked to leave?" Lotte whispers.

"Does it really surprise you that she did?" Diana can't stop herself from saying bitterly. "After having to stay with two people that barely acknowledge her outside of this room?"

"We didn't mean to." the witch with glasses says pitifully.

"Don't get angry with Lotte, Diana. I was the one who told her to stay away from Akko." Sucy stands up from her desk and gets closer to the blonde witch. "You know why we must do this."

"I only know that abandoning your friend when she needs you the most is what cowards do." she replies firmly.

"You don't know what's happening!"

"Do you?" Diana asks her and sees that the young girl also has no idea what was truly going on. "Thought so." she goes to Akko's drawers and gathers some clothes and things like her Shiny Chariot cards.

Going towards her bed, she takes the poster of the Magical Festa off the wall and carefully uses her wand to wrap it. After that's done, she prepares to leave but is stopped by Sucy.

"You take care of her Diana." she tells her firmly. "Be the friend we couldn't be."

 _She knows something…_ Diana immediately thinks but doesn't question her about it because she knows that will only hurt Sucy and Lotte.

"I will." she promises them and leaves the room.

Taking a look at the timer Croix-Sensei had given her, Diana notices that she only has 20 minutes to arrive to the meeting spot. Going against her basic instincts, the blonde witch starts running through the hidden halls of school, hoping that no one would see her. Relaxing when she realizes she's outside the school, Diana takes out her broom and places Akko's things safely underneath it so that she can fly away.

"Diana!" she sees Hannah and Barbara coming towards her. "Wait!"

"I have to go." she tells them simply.

"We know you're planning on going to see Akko!" Hannah tells her bitterly. "People saw you fighting against those witches from the Ministry."

"Why would you do something like that?!" Barbara says loudly. "Now they're saying that the Ministry will take you away from Luna Nova because of what you did."

"You should have just let them take Akko. All she ever does is cause trouble." the moment Hannah says this she feels a hard slap on her face.

Surprised, she sees Diana's hand returning to the broom.

"Don't you dare say those things about Akko." the blonde witch threatens them carefully. "She has the same right as any of us to be protected."

"What the hell is the matter with you Diana?!" Barbara tries to grab her hands. "First you miss class, then you fight against witches from the Ministry and now you slap Hannah! What has happened to you?"

"I'm starting to see the way you two really are…" Diana says somberly. "And it hurts me to see that I allowed you to mistreat Akko."

"Akko this, Akko that." Hannah says from behind Barbara. "The way you keep talking and defending her makes it seem as if you have fallen in…" the girl stops speaking to take a hard look at her friend. "No.." she whispers. "Don't tell me that's it."

Looking down for a moment, Diana raises her eyes and refuses to avert her gaze from her former friends.

"I love her." she simply says. "And I will protect her."

 _(Flashback)_

"She's going to be fine." Diana hears a soft voice telling her and sees Croix-Sensei taking a seat next to her.

"I know…" she whispers calmly. "I just can't help worrying about her."

"I understand." the older woman tells her simply.

"Where is Ursula-Sensei?" the blonde witch asks when she sees her mentor is not there.

"She went to work on a potion with Professor Fineran. Something that will help us escape."

"Our plan will work, right?" Diana whispers scared.

Croix grabs her hand.

"Of course it will. We're four very capable witches who have the support of the school."

"Then why can't I calm down?"

"It's normal to feel fear Diana." the lilac-haired woman gives her a sad smile. "It's getting over that fear what makes us rise to the occasion."

"I'm just so terrified." Diana confesses timidly. "But not for me. I don't care about me. I'm scared that something will happen to Akko and that I won't be capable of keeping her safe."

"You care about her that much…"

"It's more than caring." she looks away from knowing green eyes. "It goes beyond the affection friends have for one another."

"So you love her." Croix simply says and this makes Diana blush profusely. "Not that I blame you." she chuckles. "When I see Akko, she reminds me so much of how Chariot used to be: Brave, stubborn, a magnet for trouble and yet so endearing."

"That's Akko alright…" the blonde witch chuckles as well. "Did you love Chariot?"

"I still do very much." the older woman says without hesitation. "Which I guess is why I'm also here. Don't get me wrong, I like Akko; she has done so much for me. And yet, when I first heard the news of her being in danger, all I could think about was how much Chariot would suffer if something happened to her."

"That's love, I think. No matter what, we'll always place first the feelings of the person we love. You came because you know that Ursula loves Akko. And because you love her, you don't want her to suffer."

"Chariot has suffered so much because of me." Croix closes her eyes bitterly. "Just knowing that there's the possibility of her pain increasing…" she doesn't finish her sentence. "You must think I'm awful…"

"I was thinking that you're so much like me, Sensei. I act cold towards people I don't like. I don't mind their opinion and I won't go beyond my comfort zone to appease them. But with Akko it's completely different. I want her to like me, I want her to see me and smile. And I open myself up; I let her see sides of me that I have never showed anyone. Because I want her to see the real me. The person behind Diana Cavendish." the blonde witch gives her an understanding smile. "I think it was the same way with you Sensei."

"In a way, yes…" Croix says solemnly. "Like you, I come from an old family of witches and I was pressured to make the name Meridies become grandiose. That's why at school I never made any friends and only focused on my studies and on becoming the best." she then smiles happily. "Until Chariot approached me one day. After that, my life changed. It was like a breath of fresh air, or like waking up from a long slumber."

Diana gives her a knowing smile.

"I can understand that." she says happily. "The same thing happened to me when I met Akko. She was so different from the rest."

"Chariot was such a klutz." Croix laughs softly. "Always managed to get in trouble because her spells backfired or got a professor dirty with slime."

"Akko is like that as well! And she makes this face when she messes up, like a small puppy." Diana adds and both start laughing earnestly.

"Are you planning on telling her?" the older woman asks the student softly. "Your feelings?"

The blonde witch closes her eyes and thinks of her answer.

"I want to." she says confidently. "But I don't know how Akko will react. She has never said anything that would make me suspect that she has feelings for me…"

"The only way you'll find that out is by asking her…" Croix gives her a soft smile. "Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to waste time in doing so. Not if you're sure of your feelings."

"Right now she's going over so many things..." Diana says softly. "I don't want to overwhelm her with my confession." she smiles at Croix. "But I will tell her the moment this is all over. What about you? Will you tell Chariot how you feel?"

"Our relationship has become too complicated." she closes her eyes briefly. "I don't even know if Chariot could be capable of loving me after all I have done to her."

"The only way you'll find that out is by asking her." the young witch gives her the same answer she did and this makes Croix laugh again.

"Cheeky…" she grabs Diana's hand tenderly. "How about we both tell them how we feel once this is all over?"

Diana gives the older woman a warm smile and nods in agreement.

"It's a promise."

 _(End of Flashback)_

 _I'm sorry for telling it to someone before you, Akko…_

"You love Akko?" Barbara asks completely shocked. "You can't! Your family won't accept you. The magical community won't accept it."

"The only person that needs to accept it is Akko." Diana closes her eyes and separates from them.

"No! I won't let you leave and destroy your future!" Hannah screams and before the blonde can stop her, she raises her wand and casts a location spell.

"Damn you Hannah!" Diana screams when she feels magic coming from different places.

"I'm only doing this to help you."

"Keep telling yourself that." she spits bitterly and flies away from them, taking the cube Croix had given her. "I was spotted. A signal has been sent to the Ministry's witches."

 _"How far away are you?"_ Croix asks her from the device.

"Two minutes." she scoffs bitterly. "I was almost there."

 _"Don't worry…"_ she hears Ursula soothing her. _"We were ready, so leaving a few minutes earlier doesn't hurt us."_

 _"Besides, that way we'll get to kick those witches' ass."_ Croix adds and Diana chuckles.

Looking at the sky, Diana can see witches coming for her from all directions and the moment they find her they start firing spells. Doing her best to avoid them, Diana builds a shield around herself and continues flying around, waiting until Ursula, Croix and Akko arrive.

"You there, get down from your broom and deactivate your wand." she hears one of the Ministry's witches warn her.

Ignoring her, Diana shoots a spell that makes her broom become crazy and that creates a small commotion in the group. Taking advantage of that, Diana feels a spell directly hitting her broom and she can sense it exploding below her.

Without a broom, Diana starts falling towards the ground. Closing her eyes, she hears a familiar voice screaming her name and opens her eyes to see Akko grabbing her hand and preventing her from becoming pulp.

"Akko…" Diana whispers in complete awe. "You're flying."

"This is an enchanted broom that Croix-Sensei created for the occasion." she then points towards Ursula Sensei who was also flying in a broom. "See?"

"Still, thank you for saving me." she says and moves up so she can sit besides Akko.

"Guess that makes us even?" Akko jokes with her and moves her broom abruptly so a spell doesn't hit them. "How about I drive and you hit them?"

"With pleasure." Diana growls and Akko takes them up, allowing the blonde witch to conjure spells non-stop.

"Memento perpetuo! Desmaio! Recupepero!" Akko hears Diana chanting and shooting spells to any witch that got too close to them.

Not too far away from them, Ursula and Croix are also doing their best to take down as many witches as they can. But, it seems that they were focusing on attacking the young witches since the real target was Akko.

"Akko!" Ursula screams her name while taking down a witch on a broom that had gotten too close to the girls.

Noticing that some witches had gotten down from their brooms and had started chanting an incantation to create a puppet, Ursula sees it rising from the ground to start chasing the younger witches.

Taking a deep breath and concentrating her magic on her legs, Ursula lets go of her broom and falls towards the giant, who notices her and tries to hit her with one of his fists. Avoiding the hit, Ursula takes out her wand and lands on the giant, creating a dent on its skin.

"Destirpa!" she screams and the giant starts falling to pieces.

"Chariot!" Croix says and the red-haired woman sees that a path of machines had been created for her. Using her enhancing magic, Ursula starts jumping towards Croix, who was flying around the place avoiding spells.

"Now!" she tells her friend who moves to the left and catches her.

"Nice landing." Croix compliments her and the red-haired woman blushes. "It's almost time, put this on." she gives her a mask. "Akko, it's almost time." she screams to the brunette who nods and hands another mask to the blonde witch.

Moving in circles, Diana and Akko manage to avoid getting hit by the debris of the giant Ursula Sensei had just destroyed. Going forward, the two young witches meet with their mentors and create a two-sided attack.

"We'll defend while you attack." Ursula says to Diana who nods in agreement.

"Destirpa!" Diana screams and a group of witches are pushed to the ground.

"Bartego!" the red-haired woman places a shield around the young witches. "Croix, move towards the Sorcerer's Stone."

Nodding in understanding, Croix starts leading the group forward while Diana focuses on eliminating the witches that tried to approach them. Slowly but surely, they see that they're close enough to the stone. Stopping and creating a perimeter with some incantations, now all the four women have to do is wait.

"Stop this nonsense right now!" they see Helen arriving with a group of witches. "You are all under arrest for attacking members of the Ministry and aiding a criminal."

"Akko is no criminal!" Diana screams bitterly.

"She is now according to the Ministry." the witch shows them a letter. "So I suggest you all get down and deliver her to us."

"Never." Ursula says firmly. "Akko has done nothing wrong, Helen. What you're doing is going against what you swore to protect when you took that job. Please reconsider."

This makes Helen look down.

"I don't like this…" she admits dejectedly. "But there's nothing I can do about it. I was given my orders."

"We understand." Croix tells her sadly. "I may not have liked you much when we were in school but you were never a liar."

"Then give me that girl…" she begs. "Is she really worth all of this?"

This makes Akko look down in sadness and for the three women protecting her to stare angrily at the other witch.

"Yes she is!" Diana says and hears the signal coming from the tower. "Now!" she screams and smoke starts pouring out of the building.

"Don't smell it. It's sleeping powder." Helen screams but sees most of the witches she just brought start falling to the ground.

Looking up, she makes out the familiar silhouette of two witches watching the scene from above. She had expected them to disagree with the Ministry (specially after forcing them to accept them in the school). But, to directly interfere and prevent them from capturing the young girl went beyond what she had suspected. Screaming in anger, Helen moves forward in her broom and tries to go near the young girls, who had relaxed their stance.

"Akko, Diana!" Croix screams and watches flames rising from the smoke.

Surprised, Helen stops her broom from becoming ashes and takes a look around the floor. There, she notices a very familiar face.

"So that's why the smoke didn't affect me." she murmurs bitterly while doing her best to calm down.

 _Just who is this girl that every person she knows is trying to protect her?_

 _Even my own sister…_

"Come on, let's go while the fire is up." Diana tells Akko who was also staring at the floor with tears in her eyes.

Diana notices this and gives the brunette witch a warm hug.

"I knew they would do the right thing." she says softly and switches places with Akko. "Now let's not make their actions be in vain and let's leave."

Moving upwards, Diana and Akko are flanked by Ursula and Croix who give the women on top of them a nod. Soon after, a portal opens in front of them and they don't waste any time in going in. Nevertheless, before they're finally absorbed by it, Akko raises her voice and screams.

"Thank you Sucy and Lotte!"


	8. The Girl That Didn't Like Magic

"We made it…" Akko whispers relieved after exiting the Leyline that had been opened by Principal Holbrook at Luna Nova.

"Indeed we did." Ursula says calmly and squeezes her friend's waist.

This makes Croix blush profusely and almost make the broom descend.

"Now we only need to keep going straight until we reach the end of the road." the lilac-haired woman tells them confidently. "After that, we will reach my hidden lab."

"Sucy and Lotte…" the brunette witch says hopefully after a while. "They helped."

"Miss Manbavaran helped Professor Fineran and I create the potion used tonight." Ursula tells her solemnly.

"So she knew that we were planning to escape." Diana murmurs to herself while remembering her conversation with the pink-haired witch.

It all made sense now…

"Nothing bad will happen to them, right?" Akko asks worriedly.

"Unless Miss Manbavaran accuses her younger sister of being an accomplice in our operation…" Croix tells them calmly. "But Helen could never do that. She loves her sister too much…"

"And that was something Sucy took into consideration when aiding us." Ursula adds as well. "She knew that the potion would not affect her sister and that the moment that happened she would realize she was involved. Still, she was determined to help you."

"I thought she hated me." Akko whispers sadly.

"They don't hate you." Diana is the one that consoles her. "They are just confused about what's happening. Besides, they have to worry about their families and what could happen to them if they were to get involved."

"Since you don't come from a magical family you may not be aware of how ruthless our Ministry can be." Croix explains to her. "Growing up in a magical family, you hear stories of how some members were persecuted by the Ministry and other families were completely eliminated during the dark ages. Here is our stop." she adds and the witches land the brooms.

"Their position has changed, with science becoming more accessible and used." Ursula adds while following Croix closely with her wand ready. "But inside our world, before this occurred, it was the Ministry the one that had complete control over the daily lives of wizards and witches."

"So families are still afraid of the Ministry?" Akko asks them carefully and blushes when Diana grabs her hand.

"In a way they are." the lilac-haired woman confirms while using her wand to produce a door out of thin air. "But that's not our only threat, Akko. We wouldn't be acting this way if the Ministry were our only problem." she punches a combination of numbers in a keypad and the door opens.

"Scared individuals don't tend to make rational decisions." Diana says calmly while pulling Akko inside with her. "And this terrorist group that is making the calls from the shadows is forcing the Ministry to react negatively."

"But what will happen if the Ministry doesn't agree to the demands of the terrorist group?" the brunette witch asks and stares at the room in front of her.

Similar to the way the Luna Nova tower had been set-up after Croix-Sensei installed her lab, this one was pretty similar. It was all filled with computers, keypads, monitors and cubes that came in all sizes and shapes.

"Incredible." Diana whispers while noticing the spell that made the room expand. "The room accommodates based on the number of individuals it senses?"

"Yes." Croix tells her proudly. "The spell took me a while to master…" she admits. "But it was worth it. Beds and rooms will be on your left and the bathrooms on the right."

"About the demands, I don't think the Ministry ever planned on agreeing to them." Ursula says softly. "But they could have been capable of using you to gain more time to plan a counterattack."

"I see…" Akko starts understanding what is happening. "So we'll just wait until everything is solved?"

"Without you as a bargain tool, the Ministry will have to take direct action. There are two paths they could take. The first one is to attack the terrorist cell and eliminate them. The second option is to pass the blood rituals and tests regulation and make it law." the red-haired woman informs them bitterly.

"And since the Ministry is now formed by cowards and old people they'll probably lean towards the second option." Croix says disappointed while sitting down in a chair that had magically appeared.

To Akko, it seemed as if Croix-Sensei knew the members of the Ministry personally.

Staring at Ursula Sensei, she notices the way her mentor grabs her friend's hand and squeezes it soothingly.

Diana must have suspected the same thing she did because she does not keep quiet about it.

"You know them…" the blonde witch says out-loud and starts to remember the name of the members. "Wait, you're related to one of them, Sensei…"

This makes the older woman look down in embarrassment.

"Yes." she whispers. "Samantha Meridies, the Prime Minister, is my mother."

 _(Flashback)_

"This is not what I was expecting you to do when I enrolled you at Luna Nova." her mother tells her bitterly. "Parlor tricks and magician stuff instead of real magic."

Croix looks down in embarrassment.

"Forgive me mother…" she whispers.

She had just been caught by her mother doing some transformation spells on herself. And, her mother instead of congratulating her, had told her the spells needed to be done on objects or animals.

Not on her.

"Remember Croix, our family comes from tradition. We have a mission, as one of the main magical families, to advance the field of magic. And that can only be accomplished through studies and arduous practice. Not by doing this." she points at the red-haired girl that was creating some fireworks around her.

She had seen that girl around school. A year younger than her, she was known for getting into trouble and being the constant student that professors always complained about. While many laughed behind her back, Croix envied the girl because she seemed so happy. And, although her spells usually didn't work, when they did succeed, like in this instance, they were beautiful.

It made Croix long for a life like that…

"Yes mother…"

"I'll have a word with Principal Holbrook so she prepares some extra work for you. Although Luna Nova is the best option for you to study at, their current curriculum has become lacking in complexity. Private lessons will surely help." her mother murmurs to herself while walking towards her broom. "Now dear, remember what I told you and focus on your studies." she orders her.

"Of course mother." Croix tells her quickly and watches her get on her broom. "Will I see you before the year ends?"

This makes her mother look at her condescendingly.

"I'm not sure." she says calmly. "Things are looking up for the election and it seems like I may get the nomination. I have been advised to stay in the city to acquire the votes of the indecisive members of the parliament."

"I understand." the girl tells her disappointedly.

"Trust me dear, right now this may seem like a difficult decision. But later, when the years pass and our family name and prestige remains, you'll see it was all worth it."

Nodding in acceptance, she waits until her mother leaves before taking a deep breath and starts screaming in frustration. She hated her life and the way her mother was telling her to live it. But most of all, she hated herself for being a coward who was incapable of standing up to her.

Closing her eyes, Croix takes a couple of seconds to walk away from the broom station. So immersed in her thoughts she is that she fails to notice the same girl from earlier coming straight at her.

Flying in a broom that the witch has no longer control of…

"Move!" the girl screams at her and Croix falls to the side, barely avoiding getting hit.

Looking up, she sees how the girl is holding on tightly, arms and legs wrapped desperately around the broom, while it moves from side to side in an attempt to throw her down.

Taking out her wand, Croix concentrates on the immobilization spell she learned weeks ago. While she had not practiced it much, she was confident in her abilities and the fact that there was no one else around that could help them.

Breathing and focusing on the words and movements she had to make, Croix follows the broom and waits until it remains in the same place…

"Memento perpetuo!" she screams and the spell hits the crazy broom, making it stop moving and the girl on top of it to fall.

"Help!" the red-haired screams and Croix points her wand at her as well.

"Gravitates!" Croix says confidently and the girl stops mid-air. "Relax, I'll start bringing you down." she instructs the girl and carefully starts letting go of the spell until the girl is standing in front of her. "Are you alright?"

This makes the girl look at her and give her a radiant smile.

"You saved me!" she exclaims happily and doesn't think twice about hugging her.

Croix freezes but doesn't prevent her from continuing the embrace.

 _Strange…_

"I was so scared!" the girl continues talking. "You see, I was trying out some spells so that I could stand and move around the broom but I must have done something wrong because from one moment to the other I was flying around the yard." she keeps explaining. "Luckily, you happened to be here as well…"

"Yeah…" Croix doesn't know what else to say.

"My name is Chariot Du Nord." she stretches her hand waiting for Croix to do the same. "It is nice to meet you!"

"My name is Croix Meridies." she takes the girl's hand and squeezes it softly. "It's nice to meet you too…"

 _(End of Flashback)_

"The Meridies family is one of the oldest families of the magic world." Diana says softly. "So it's understandable that your mother would gain the position."

"Gain the position?" Akko asks confused.

"In order to become the Prime Minister you must be selected by the majority of the Parliament." Ursula explains to her calmly. "Croix's mother took the position ten years ago."

"During your time at Luna Nova." Diana says and then stares at Croix-Sensei. "I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for you."

"It was something…" Croix admits with a sad smile on her face.

 _(Flashback)_

"Croix, you should be hanging out with us." Samantha, one of the elder witches tells her while staring deceptively at Chariot.

"With whom I choose to spend my time with does not concern you." she tells them bitterly.

"Is that really something the daughter of the Prime Minister should say? Wouldn't your mother want you to keep good relations with the Bearclaw family?" one of Samantha's pawns smirks.

"Croix is capable of choosing her own friends." Chariot tells them while not looking away from her books. "And, she's intelligent enough to realize when someone is trying to use her."

This makes the girls tsk in bitterness and finally leave them alone.

"Thank you…" Croix says relieved.

"You're welcome." Chariot smiles at her as if nothing has happened and then shows her the notes she took from their private lessons. "So, if I do this I'll get the plant to grow and move around?"

Croix reads the notes and sees they're correct. She nods in confirmation.

"Ok, then I guess it's time to try it!" the red-haired exclaims happily and before Croix can stop her she creates the spell and uses it on the plant.

Immediately, the plant instead of falling under Chariot's control gets a life of its own and starts destroying the greenhouse.

"Everyone leave!" their professor shrieks while being captured by the plant and placed inside a leaf.

"Run Croix!" Chariot pushes her out of the way before she's grabbed by the crazy plant.

"Chariot!" Croix screams with a big smile on her face. "That's not the way it's supposed to be!" she runs away from the vines of the plant. "You were supposed to make it move according to your commands, not give it a live of its own!"

"I thought I was doing so!" Chariot yells while falling to the ground because she got stuck between two roots. "But don't worry, I'm gonna fix this!"

Standing up, Chariot takes out her wand and concentrates on the spell Croix had taught her the day before. She had begged her senpai for help since she was going to have a test soon and needed to earn a good mark. And Croix, who had surprisingly taken a liking to her, accepted to tutor her in exchange of food.

Because while Croix was the most intelligent witch she had ever known, she was terrible in the kitchen.

"Ok, think Chariot…" she closes her eyes and remembers her lesson. "Reductio!" she screams and sees the plan moving around in circles, as if it were agonizing.

"You're doing the movement of the wand wrong!" Croix screams to her from afar. "You have to move it from left to right; not from right to left!"

"Ok!" Chariot does as told and relaxes when the plant returns to normality.

Looking around her, she sees that the greenhouse was destroyed because of her accident. Closing her eyes in sadness, the red-haired girl cannot stop herself from crying in frustration. Because no matter how much she tried, her magic never worked.

"Don't cry…" Croix says softly to her while sitting close.

"My magic doesn't work." the younger girl says pitifully. "Look around you, this is the only thing my magic does. Create chaos." she stares at the lilac-haired girl. "While yours Croix can do so many things. Yours is perfect."

"It may be perfect…" Croix admits bitterly. "But it's not beautiful or happy. Yours is Chariot. It may not work at times, but when it does, your magic is breathtaking." she confesses softly. "And because you love to do magic, every time you perform a spell you can feel the happiness surrounding it. As if you were giving it life. My spells are not like that because I don't like magic."

"What do you mean you don't like magic Croix?" Chariot asks her confused. "You're studying to become a witch and you participate in every contest and tournament the school organizes…"

"I participate because I must. Because that's a part of being a Meridies." she confesses brokenly. "I must be the best because of my family. Failure, taking the time to be with friends and just relax, is not something that I know or am allowed to do."

"But that's awful!" the younger girl tells her immediately. "You'll work once you grow up, but before that you must have fun! Do silly things because you feel like it and know you're allowed to make mistakes." she then grabs Croix's hand strongly. "I will help you Croix! From now on we'll have adventures and fun! We'll do magic because we want to and because it's beautiful."

"To me magic has never been beautiful…" Croix says sadly.

"Then I'll show you!" Chariot smiles brightly and stretches her hand at her. "I'll show you how beautiful magic can be Croix!"

 _(End of Flashback)_

Taking a look at the woman in front of her, Akko knows that something is going on between Croix-Sensei and her mother. And yet, things made so much sense right now. Why the Prime Minister had come to school to personally pick her up. Why her punishment was not so severe and how Croix-Sensei could gain access to all the technology she needed for her craft.

"I know what you must be thinking…" Croix tells the younger girls softly. "You must be asking yourselves why I would rebel against my mother like this…"

"I was considering it…" Diana admits to her simply. She knew the older woman preferred honesty and bluntness.

"My mother, she's not the same woman she was years ago." she whispers bitterly. "And, before I arrived to Luna Nova I took advantage of that. I used her to enact my revenge." she chuckles brokenly. "She has grown weak, and like I did, there are people inside the parliament that are taking advantage of that."

"So you're saying your mother would never favor the blood rituals and tests." the blonde witch says hopefully.

"She wouldn't." Ursula is the one that answers immediately. "It goes against the basic beliefs the Meridies family has held in high regard."

 _(Flashback)_

"I do magic because I want to make people happy! Because I want to show them how beautiful magic can be!" Chariot had told her while creating fireworks and fairies around her, a dance and show being performed in front of her eyes.

Croix, of course, had started clapping and adding her own magic to the mix, creating a combination of creatures of the forest and little machine dragons.

Laughing and making up stories about the situation, Croix had completely forgotten about her mother's visit to Luna Nova. And, as it tended to happen when it came to her luck, her mother had discovered her playing in the yard with Chariot.

"Croix Meridies! You will stop talking and seeing that girl!" her mother tells her angrily after having talked with Professor Fineran. "Ever since you met her your grades have lowered and your involvement in incidents has increased."

No…

"Chariot is a good girl mother." Croix tells her softly. "She likes me because of who I am and not because of my name."

"She's trouble. She doesn't come from an old family, her grades are mediocre and her use of magic will make her the laughing stock of the magical community. You can't get involved with people like that."

"You mean I shouldn't because that would affect your image." Croix tells her bitterly. "Everything with us is always about the family. What type of magic I should learn, how I should use it and when should I use it. Living that way, that's a life that I don't want."

This makes her mother stop walking and stare surprisingly at her.

"Are you saying that you won't do as I said?"

"I'm saying that I won't stop being friends with Chariot. I will prove to you that I can be successful while keeping her close."

Her mother simply remains silent at that, making Croix become confused.

"That girl will be your downfall Croix, remember my words." the older woman finally tells her and is given a broom by one of her staff members. "Don't even bother about coming home if you're still friends with her by Christmas." she finishes and Croix watches her leave without saying anything.

She felt sadness, mixed with joy. The joy of finally being capable of speaking up against her mother and their traditions. She had done it.

"You should have just told her that you would stop talking to me." Croix hears a soft voice whispering and sees Chariot behind a tree.

"I assume you heard." she says sadly because she knew how much what others thought of her affected Chariot.

"Hard not to when your mother is not shy about people hearing her." Chariot tries to joke but it's not that funny.

"That wasn't very funny." Croix gives her a sad smile and sits next to her.

"I was trying to lift the mood." the younger girl chuckles bitterly. "I wouldn't blame you, you know… If you decided you no longer want to be friends."

"Do you have so little faith in me?" the lilac-haired girl gives her a teasing smile. "You heard me when I told my mother that I would become successful without abandoning my desires."

"Yes, but this will hurt your relationship with her…"

"Our relationship was hurt the moment she chose her family name over me." Croix says firmly. "This, under no circumstances, is your fault Chariot. In fact, you're the reason I feel so happy and at peace right now."

"You feel at peace?" Chariot asks confused.

"Yes, I was capable of speaking up and maintaining my stance against my mother. I fought for something I believe in and succeeded."

"You believe in me?" the red-haired whispers with tears in her eyes.

"Yes. Ever since you almost killed me with your broom my life has changed for the better Chariot. It has become more fun. Happier and brighter. All thanks to you."

"I haven't done anything…" Chariot says while blushing.

"Of course you have. You have done everything." Croix smiles warmly at her. "You have shown me how beautiful and fun magic can be." she holds her friend's hands tightly.

"Have I really?" the younger girl whispers hopefully.

"Yes…" she gets closer. "And you know what…"

"What?" Chariot whispers and feels a pair of soft lips on her cheek.

"You were right. Magic is beautiful." Croix says while staring at her lovingly. "So please continue showing me."

 _(End of Flashback)_

"My mother is not the problem." Croix closes her eyes in resignation. "It's the people in the parliament that are with the traditionalist faction. If my mother is incapable of acquiring a majority then that means the law will be passed."

"And she's not as popular as she was." Diana can realize what Croix-Sensei meant with her previous statement.

"I'm afraid that the missile crisis, the weakening of magic and the terrorist group are arguments enough that show my mother is no longer at her prime." the lilac-haired woman admits. "They can be easily used by the traditionalist faction."

"Then what can we do?" Akko asks them.

No one says anything.

"Are we really just going to stand here and watch how this law hurts the families of all magical beings?" the brunette girl asks surprised.

"What can we do Akko?" Ursula is the one that asks her. "If we were to go to the Parliament with you they'll just capture you."

"We could talk directly with your mom." she says this to Croix who looks at the brunette witch with fearful eyes. "I'm sure that if you called her she would come."

Croix, instead of answering, simply stands up from her chair and walks towards one of the bedrooms, clearly wanting some alone time.

"I'm afraid." she says to Akko sadly. "That you overestimate the love my mother has for me."


	9. So It Isn't As Good As They Make It Seem

Walking around the many different rooms, Ursula can't help but from admire the brilliance of her friend. Although Croix had made it seem like the spell she had performed on the room was simple, the reality was that in order to continuously manipulate their living space, a mixture of magic and physics had to be taken into consideration. And, the sole amount of energy that needed from the person casting the spell was tremendous. Which meant that Croix had again managed to go against all odds when it came to traditional magic. Technically speaking, mass cannot be continuously changing: It can only be changed entirely by casting a spell each time the caster wanted the change to be made. So, by finding a way to make the room around them expand, Croix had created a new way to perform magic.

Arriving at the room she would be sharing with Croix, she sees the way her friend is silently writing notes in a computer. Making enough noise to alert the older woman of her presence, she notices that she refuses to look at her. Understanding what this could be about, Ursula sits down right next to her and softly closes her laptop.

"Want to tell me what you're thinking?" she asks with a calm smile.

"I would prefer not to." Croix huffs bitterly while moving her fingers non-stop. "Although knowing you, you must already suspect what I'm thinking."

This makes Ursula give her friend an understanding smile.

The reason why Croix used a laptop was because when she got nervous she tended to move her hands uncontrollably. So, in order to make this nervous tick less obvious she camouflaged it by pretending to be either typing or writing.

"I have my suspicions." Ursula tells her softly. "You know Akko didn't mean any ill will when she made those comments."

"Of course I know." Croix tells her immediately. "I'm not angry at her. She has no idea how our world truly work. Or that the person responsible of causing her so much pain is my mother."

"Croix…"

"I'm angry at myself." the lilac-haired woman admits dejectedly. "For still getting affected by all of this when years have gone by."

"This is not your fault."

"I know that." she laughs fakely. "And I know that I can't change the past. Or the way my mother was while I was growing up. Or the person she became after gaining the position of Prime Minister." she continues saying. "But it still hurts me. Even when I tell myself that it shouldn't because there's nothing to gain from keeping those feelings, they still affect me."

"We can't help who we love." Ursula says to her simply. "Even if that person ends up hurting us, if we care for them, we'll always hope for the best in them."

Closing her eyes, Croix stares at her friend and can't stop herself from thinking if Chariot is talking about them.

"I guess we both know how that feels like." she chuckles sadly and Ursula does the same.

"Indeed." Ursula gets even closer to Croix and hugs her tightly. "The past has not been kind to us." she whispers calmly. "And we could blame it for our troubles and pain." she squeezes tighter. "Or we could take it and accept it. Embrace it for making us the way we are now."

"And are you truly happy with the way you are now, Ursula?" she says and knows her friend noticed she didn't call her Chariot.

"I wasn't. And I guess I'm still not." the blue-haired witch tells her honestly. "But I think I'm getting there." she smiles warmly. "After I lost the Shiny Rod, I thought that I would never be capable of being happy. I only accepted the job at Luna Nova because I considered it a good place to hide. But I slowly started to like it. I started to realize that teaching young girls magic was another way to make people happy. The way their faces changed when they succeeded in a spell or test, it was what I had seen when I performed."

"I didn't think that I would enjoy teaching." Croix says as well. "And the sole reason I came to Luna Nova was because of the Shiny Rod. But, once I started explaining my type of magic to the girls and I could see their honest excitement; it made me realize that having a life like that wasn't so bad."

"It doesn't sound bad at all." Ursula smiles warmly to her. "Because Croix, there's so much for you to give. Your magic, your inventions and experiments, they're the future of magic."

Croix chuckles sadly.

"You saying that… It brings back memories."

 _(Flashback)_

"What is this Croix?" Chariot asks her while taking a cube from her desk and pressing it in her hand.

Croix looks up from her notebook and gives her friend a warm smile.

"We're supposed to be studying for our white magic exam."

"Yeah, but I'm bored." the red-haired girl tells her childishly and shows her the cube. "Besides, you said that once you had it done, you would explain to me what it was. And I know that it's done because if it weren't then you would keep it hidden."

Croix laughs loudly and closes her book.

"You know me too well." she admits and takes the cube from Chariot's hand. "Remember when I told you that I was trying to find new ways to save magic?"

"Yeah, because you noticed that we spend too much energy from our wands when we do spells."

"I realized that most of the times we repeat spells in the same objects. For example, if you want to change a rabbit to a horse, you would do the spell twice. Once to change its form and another to modify the size, color, etc."

"Yeah, I mean witches that are very powerful can do it with one spell but that's because they're better at concentrating their energy."

"Indeed, so, if magic is being mostly used by students that are learning it, why not find a way to save energy?" Croix smiles and shows her the cube. "This little cube can do so. By using the feelings that come in your spell, it intensifies and facilitates the process. So, if you use the spell Flagberstate on this cube, you'll see that it will immediately become jelly." Croix tells her proudly while doing so.

"Incredible!" Chariot says proudly after watching her friend's magic work. "I thought that we could only use Flagberstate to manipulate liquids."

"Well, technically that's all you can do with the spell. But, if you use the spell on this cube I created, the possible applications increase since the cube is not liquid. That means that, if we were to cover or create objects with similar materials, the principle should apply as well. So instead of using two spells on the same object, you end up using only one."

"It's amazing how you thought of all this to begin with."

This makes Croix blush.

"I was just curious about spells limitations. Why learn another spell when I can create an object that can adapt to the spell I know well." she says proudly. "And, by using the cube, people wouldn't need to be prodigal magical beings."

"You mean magic would become more accessible?!" Chariot asks happily.

"Yes, if my calculations are correct." Croix says softly. "And you know what that would mean, right? We could make people stop fearing witches and magic. We could show them a new side of magic."

Chariot nods in agreement and again uses the spell to make the cube melt in her hand. While she knows what this could mean for the people that couldn't do magic, she also understood what Croix's invention could do to the magical community."

"Did you show your mother?

This makes the older witch look down in sadness.

"Not yet. I wanted you to see it first." she then gives her friend an angry look. "Besides, you know how she is, Chariot. Any kind of magic that deviates from the 'tradition' is seen as an abomination."

"I'm sure that if it comes from you she won't see it that way."

This makes the lilac-haired girl chuckle humorlessly.

"Because it comes from me my mother will see it as a curse for the Meridies family. A new way to embarrass the family and her."

"But it's a type of magic that can help people."

"Some people are meant to do things that others cannot." Croix murmurs bitterly. "Magic is a privilege, not a right. That is the Ministry's way of thinking." she gives her friend a sad smile. "You're lucky your family does not come from famous ancestors. Because only people who belong to those families know the pain of being in one."

"I may not come from an ancient magical family but that does not mean that I have things easier." Chariot gives her a sad smile. "There's a reason why most witches at Luna Nova don't take me seriously."

"You're right." the older girl apologizes immediately. "That was insensitive of me to say. I'm sorry."

"Hey, probably what I said about your mother was also insensitive." the red-haired witch forgives her quickly. "Maybe it's for the best that we learn our places in our society…"

This makes Croix get close to her and grab her hands tightly.

"Don't say that Chariot! Not when we have so much ahead of us. I'm sure that one day we'll show them! When you become a successful performer and my inventions start being used by wizards and witches, we'll show them that they were wrong about us. About judging us."

 _(End of Flashback)_

"We thought we would change the world just like that." Ursula smiles sadly. "We were so naïve."

"We were children." Croix says to her softly. "We didn't know better." she then looks at her friend tenderly. "You know, Akko asking us to help reminded me of how we used to be: Always willing to help without considering the consequences."

"We learned the hard way to be wary of our actions." the younger witch reminds her. "And you know how your mother will react…"

"I do know." she admits bitterly. "Since I'm almost certain that she's the one that thought of using Akko to begin with. A way to gain more time before they concocted another plan."

"Perhaps explaining that to Akko and Diana will help them understand our position more?"

"I'm sure Diana knows very well our point of view." Croix smiles bitterly. "Since we both come from old magical families, we understand how things really work in them."

"And knowing Akko, she will feel guilty about the conversation and ask Diana for information about it." Ursula says calmly.

"Then how about we give those two some time to talk things out and then we go see them?" the lilac-haired witch tells her with a soft smile.

"Meanwhile…" the red-haired woman gets close to Croix and places her head on her shoulder and waits until Croix wraps her arm around her. "Let's just stay like this... For old times' sake…"

This makes the older woman stare deeply at her friend and think of what she truly wants.

That she wants this, moments like the one they just had, to be their forever. Leaving Luna Nova had made her become determined to make it happen. Even if that meant hiding the depth of her feelings, a little, at first.

Because she knew that Chariot was not ready.

Not yet at least.

Lucky enough, she was patient.

"For old times' sake." Croix repeats and closes her eyes in absolute bliss.

And stubborn enough to not let things go.

LWALWALWALWA

"Do you think I'm being too foolish?" is the first thing Akko asks her when she enters the room. "Telling them that we should help stop all of this when these people are the ones chasing us?"

"I think it's foolish." Diana tells her honestly. "But you wouldn't be you if you didn't selflessly offer your help." she stares fondly at her. "Croix and Ursula Sensei know this as well."

"What I said about her mom..." she whispers sadly while staring at the ceiling of their new room. "I didn't mean to make her remember painful memories."

"She knows that." Diana tells her confidently. "But you'll soon find out Akko that while everyone talks about the benefits of old magical families, the reality is that life in them is difficult."

"Diana…" she says softly because she knows that her friend is speaking from experience.

"I wasn't saying that so you would feel sorry for me." the blonde witch gives her a tight smile. "And I know that you didn't mean it like that." she adds when Akko tries to apologize. "But let's just say that not coming from our world places you in a position of blissful ignorance."

"Then please help me understand." Akko says seriously. "Please Diana, I know I may be asking you too much, especially if that forces you to remember painful memories." she grabs her friend's hands. "But I don't want to say the wrong thing because of my ignorance." she looks down in embarrassment. "Besides, I want to know everything about you Diana…"

This makes the blonde witch blush deeply.

"Akko…" she murmurs with a soft smile and nods in agreement. "You know that there was the golden age of witches and that most ancient families come directly from the bloodline of the nine olde witches."

"Yeah, like your family. The Cavendish come from the direct line of Beatrix." Akko tells her confidently.

"Indeed, and, while the nine olde witches didn't start with the practice of blood rituals and tests, even during their time, the prestige of belonging to one of their families in the magical world became obvious. Later generations, taking advantage of this, started to implement rigorous laws and prohibitions to prevent the pure-blood lines from disappearing. For example, family members could only marry people from other of the main nine families or people from within their own family."

"And what happened to the people who disagreed?"

"They couldn't disagree." Diana tells her surely. "Because they were bound to the leader of the family, they had to follow every order and command."

"That's horrible." Akko says fearfully.

"That period was not a good one. People outside the nine families started becoming angry because they saw the benefits the members of the families received from the government. The ambition of the heads of the families allowed them to become important political and social figures inside our society. Hence, most decisions made by the government were actually preapproved by the nine families."

"So the lower classes started to resent them." the brunette witch could understand why.

"Perhaps it was a punishment from the olde witches what made magic start dissipating from our world. Alas, without it, the leaders of the families were quickly ignored and the members of the families gained more independence. Not only that, but with the Ministry being the only one that could do magic at that time, it allowed them to regain control of the government."

"So that's how we started to use the Sorcerer's Stones."

"Yes, the Ministry found a talented alchemist and she invented the stone as an energy plant that took magic from the Leylines. Sorcerer's Stones technology has remained a secret and can only be ordered through the Ministry." Diana explains to her calmly. "Or at least that was the way it was. Now that people can do magic without the stones, a new internal fight has begun."

"An internal fight?" Akko asks confused.

"The nine ancient families and the Ministry have always remained close. Usually, Prime Ministers come from members of the families. Also, members that work for the Ministry tend to come from the nine families or are second line members. It's very selective when choosing people." the blonde witch says simply. "Which is why the old families are taking advantage of this new situation to reintroduce blood magic and rituals."

"But why would they even want that? You said that the people inside the families were controlled by the leaders! Why would they agree to something that would take their freedom away?!"

"Because right now everyone can do magic." Diana tells her and Akko immediately understands what she's trying to say. "Now that the seal of the Grand Triskellion is broken, the leaders of the magic families have an infinite access to magic. And, usually family members are elected based on seniority and/or magical power."

"So the leaders could basically stop any member that wants to rebel against the blood rituals because they're more powerful." Akko whispers bitterly. "This is all too convenient to be true."

"Indeed." the blonde witch agrees with her. "There's something else going on behind the scenes that is forcing the Ministry and people to react this way."

"You mean that the terrorist group may be working with the traditionalist faction?" Akko asks surprised. "Wouldn't that go against their principle of no magic?"

"Perhaps an alliance has been created in order to eliminate the Ministry." Diana murmurs. "The Ministry during the last 50 years has gained enough power to create trouble for the traditionalist faction. Even if there's no need now for the Sorcerer's Stones, the Ministry has loyal members. Most of them come from the best magic schools and were in the top of their classes. Besides, once a member of the old families joins the Ministry, they are relieved from their duties as a family member."

"So those are no longer loyal to the family but the Ministry." Akko realizes how this could be a problem for the old families.

"When I was younger and my grandmother was at the head of the family, I was scared of being a part of it." Diana admits to her softly. "My mother and aunt, they talked about joining the Ministry because they were terrified of her and how she used magic." she smiles sadly. "My aunt didn't have the grades to make it and my mother was too frail to work there. Lucky for them, my grandmother died and my mother became the head instead soon after they graduated from school."

"From everything you're telling me, being a member of the nine old families is not something to desire."

"Only members of the nine families know this." they hear a soft voice say from the door and see Croix and Ursula standing there. "That's why most of us try to leave the moment we graduate school."

"I hope you don't mind us intruding…" Ursula tells them with a soft smile. "We just wanted to see how you were."

"Croix-Sensei…" Akko says softly and feels tears falling from her eyes. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I didn't know…"

"Don't cry Akko." the older woman tells her while getting close and hugging her tight. "I'm not angry at you. I was angry at myself." she confesses calmly. "Talking about my mother reminds me of the times I wanted her approval. Of how she rejected me in favor of the family. How she rejected the people I cared about…" she looks at Ursula. "And how stupid enough I must be to still want her to love me."

"I understand." the brunette girl tells her softly. "I know how it feels like to be looked down by everyone. To not be accepted because of who you are." she continues explaining to her professor. "To be only seen because of my merits and not because of me." she smiles sadly. "And yet, knowing the people around them were like that, I still wanted them to like me. To accept me."

"Akko…" Diana whispers sadly.

"I just never thought that you felt like that too Croix-Sensei. To me, when I first saw you at school, you were this confident and beautiful woman that could do nothing wrong. You said the right things, you were funny and charming. You were perfect. Too perfect, I realize now." she grabs the woman's hands. "So forgive me, for not understanding. And for being insensitive."

Croix gives her a sad smile and again hugs her tight.

It was too late now… Like Chariot, she had fallen in love with the little girl helping her mend her broken soul.

"I forgive you." she says because she knows that is the only thing that will make the girl fully accept the situation.

Meanwhile, Diana and Ursula share knowing looks and both can't help but smile at the scene in front of them. They were all, slowly, being healed by the brunette witch with the bright smile.


	10. Actions Speak Louder Than Words

"They're doing the rituals…" is the first thing Diana tells them when she enters the living room.

Akko, Croix and Ursula had been watching the television, wanting to see if there had been any news concerning the terrorist group or their escape at Luna Nova. They had been doing that for a week now and there had not been a single news coverage concerning them or the terrorists.

Apparently, it seemed that the Ministry was keeping the situation under wraps.

So, while they waited to hear news, they had decided to continue with their magic lessons. Diana and Akko knew that they were the weakest ones of the group and they didn't want to risk the safety of the professors just because they had to keep them safe. So, after discussing it with Diana the first night, Akko had convinced the blonde woman that they needed to learn the spells the witches of the Ministry had used against them that day.

Lucky for her, Diana agreed with her a hundred percent.

 _(Flashback)_

"Right now, what we have to do is just sit tight." Croix tells them after having had a peaceful sleep. "Unfortunately, because we're trying to stay under the radar, that means that we'll have to stay inside this house as much as we can."

"We understand." Diana says calmly while reading a book on white magic casting. "Is it ok to assume that the house adapts to the necessities of its occupants?"

"Yes."

"So, if we were to wish for a training room, would the spell you used facilitate one?"

"Why would you want one to begin with?" Ursula is the one that asks her.

"Because during our fight at Luna Nova, the witches of the Ministry used some spells that we didn't know. We need to prepare for them."

"Those spells are taught specifically for battle situations." Croix informs the blonde witch. "And are only taught to witches that are accepted to work at the Ministry."

"I know you both can use them as well." Diana smiles devilishly. "I saw Ursula Sensei take down a giant puppet with one. And, the memory spell we performed was another one."

This makes Croix chuckle knowingly.

"You're very clever."

"Too clever for her own good." Ursula agrees with a soft smile.

"Diana is right." Akko speaks for the first time since Diana brought the subject to discussion. "You're doing all of this for us; we don't want to burden you by being incapable of keeping ourselves safe. So please, Croix and Ursula Sensei, teach us how to defend against this type of attacks."

"These spells are not easy and require a lot of stamina." Ursula warns them. "You must build up on stamina before being capable of casting them."

"But we can teach them the spell and how to use their wand without them actually activating the spell." Croix tells Ursula who is going to refuse. "Chariot, they're no longer children. Not giving them the tools to defend themselves would be irresponsible on our part."

This makes Ursula look away from the table because she knows that Croix is right.

She just didn't want to teach that type of magic to Akko and Diana.

"Ok, we will teach you." Ursula says softly. "But you can only use them if your life is in danger and there's no other way to get to safety."

"Understood." Akko and Diana say at the same time.

"Now then, let me prepare the room we will use for practice and the tools we will need." Croix gives them a soft smile.

She also didn't want them to learn that type of magic.

 _(End of Flashback)_

So for a whole week, the four witches had been practicing their spells and tactics to defend and attack enemies. Croix, after leaving Luna Nova, had started working for the Ministry and hence had learned all of their techniques and spells. Ursula, meanwhile, had read ancient books that focused on concentrating magic on your body and using it as a weapon (because apparently that's how witches fought before they created the wands).

Between their magic lessons and tactics, the four women had found a way to prevent their anxiety from dominating them. Since they had to remain untraceable, they couldn't just go and ask for information from the locals. So instead, what had been decided was to use familiars. Croix had been against using hers since the Ministry knew its magic. Ursula had agreed as well, claiming that their contacts inside the school would probably be watched by the Ministry. So, they needed to find someone from the outside to keep them informed. Luckily, they had Diana's owl, who was passing them information from Anna, Diana's maid. She had been telling them what was happening at the mansion and what the servants were hearing from the people of the middle class.

"But they can't…" Akko says worriedly. "The Ministry has not approved the law yet."

"The leaders of the nine families have agreed to hold a secret meeting with the Master of Bloadell." the blonde witch informs them bitterly. "The Cavendish have been invited to attend as well."

"What will your aunt do?" Ursula asks her. "She cannot refuse the invitation."

"She knows that." Diana closes her eyes. "Anna told me that my aunt does not wish to go. But she has to in order to keep appearances."

"Rejecting an invitation from the Master of Bloadell would be considered by the other families as an act of treason."

"The Master of Bloadell?" Akko asks confused.

"He is the representative of the nine main families who is appointed by a majority of votes from the leaders of the families." Ursula explains to her quickly.

"Many believed he died years ago in a revolt outside his house." Croix says carefully. "In fact, Ursula and I were saying earlier that it's too much of a coincidence that he happens to make his appearance the moment the seal of the Grand Triskellion is broken."

"So he's also involved in all of this?"

"He must be." Diana is the one that answers her friend. "The Master of Bloadell is responsible of keeping tradition and continuing the lineage of the nine olde witches. So, it is in his interest to make the blood rituals legal."

"Besides, they say that the Master of Bloadell's magic is connected to the blood of the nine families. The stronger the bonds are inside the family, the stronger his magic becomes." Croix tells them. "Or at least that's what I heard while I was working on the Noir Rod."

"How did you manage to acquire information on the mechanics of the Shiny Rod?" Ursula asks her friend.

"There were ancient books from the dark ages that talked about artificial magical artifacts created to counteract the witches' magic." the lilac-haired woman explains softly. "The books are kept by the Ministry and I was able to gain access to them through my mother." she looks down in embarrassment. "But in those books they did talk about the Master of Bloadell's artifact. How it was created by humans in order to prevent witches from attacking them."

"Then how did it make its way back to the magical community? And why would they even use it?" Diana thinks out-loud. "It doesn't make sense. In fact, it goes against their traditionalist point of view."

"Perhaps they don't know that the artifact was created by non-magical beings?" Akko is the one that answers.

"Akko may be close to the truth." Croix says. "Although the books I read are in the Ministry, not many can access them."

"So because the non-magical beings were trying to bind magic, the artifact they created reacts once the magic of the strongest families is controlled." Ursula summarizes their suspicions.

"But the Master of Bloadell believes that the magic of his artifact increases because the ritual is being performed. Not because of the effect the ritual has on the family members." Diana realizes as well. "And he's going to conduct a ritual today."

"A family must have volunteered to perform the ritual." Croix closes her eyes. "Do you know which one?"

"It's being kept a secret." the younger witch tells them. "All I know is that the meeting will be held at the mansion of the Master of Bloadell and all family leaders have been asked to attend. Apparently, the Master of Bloadell will use the Seal of Loyalty to ensure the loyalty of the nine leaders."

This makes Ursula stare at her friend worriedly and move around the room in circles.

"What is the Seal of Loyalty?" Akko asks confused.

"It's a brand that is passed down from family leader to family leader. The brand is said to have been placed on the first leader of the nine olde families by the first Master of Bloadell. Once that ritual was completed, the brand has been magically passed on once the head of the family dies to the next in line." Diana tells her softly. "The brand, it is said, acts similar to a contract. In order to use it, the Master of Bloadell must sacrifice his own magic. But, once it is active, it physically punishes the carriers that reject the call."

"That's awful." Akko whispers and is relieved that Diana is not the leader of her family.

And Croix Sensei was also safe because…

"Your mother, she's the leader of your family…" the brunette whispers worriedly. "But she works for the Ministry so she can't represent them. She can't go." she then looks at her professor and understands why her mentor was so freaked out when Diana mentioned the brand. "Don't tell me you're the leader of the Meridies family…"

Croix looks down in sadness and takes off her sweater so she can show them the brand.

"Of course, how foolish of me to not realize this sooner." Diana murmurs and then stares at her professor brokenly. "You have to go."

"But we're being chased by the Ministry!" Akko says while getting close to Croix and holdings her hands. "You can't go there. Can't we do a spell to prevent the brand from activating"

"The Ministry can't intervene in a meeting of the Master of Bloadell." Ursula whispers softly. "So Croix would technically be safe once she enters his mansion."

"Besides, a potion that could help Croix-Sensei endure the punishment from the brand would take too long." Diana adds dejectedly.

"So you're actually considering this!" the brunette girl says angrily. "Can't you see that she doesn't want to go! Why are you two forcing her to do so?!"

"Because I have no choice." Croix is the one that responds. "We can't also make an enemy of the Master of Bloadell." she chuckles bitterly. "Even if I were to endure the pain of the brand, having the traditionalist faction as an enemy is something completely different. They won't hesitate to use my absence as an excuse to hunt us down and kill us. Just think of the effect the brand has and that it's only meant to make the carrier know he or she is being called."

"Kill us? Because you don't want to go see a meeting where a person will be bound to another and basically made a slave?!" Akko screams and stands up to stare at the three women in front of her. "Do you even realize how fucked up that sounds?!"

"Akko…" Diana whispers worriedly because she had never seen her friend lose her temper like that.

This anger, it wasn't childish like the one she showed when her spells didn't work. This one was anger at being incapable of helping the people she cares about.

"I also don't like this." Ursula tries to get close to Akko but the girl doesn't let her. "Do you think I want to send Croix there?" she raises her voice a little. "Me, who knows how much she has suffered because of them?!"

"Chariot…" Croix whispers sadly while watching the scene unfolding in front of her.

"Then why must she go?!" Akko continues arguing for her. "Why must she suffer for something that it's not her responsibility? How is that even fair?!"

"It's not fair." Diana is the one that says now. "Akko, I hate that Croix-Sensei must do this, but there's no other choice. Because you don't come from a magical family, you don't understand how serious this is."

"I understand that going can get Croix-Sensei hurt. Don't you care about that?" she stares at Ursula. "I thought you would…"

This makes the room become silent and for Croix to stare at her friend worriedly. She would have never expected to see Akko fight with Chariot, not after what happened at Wagandea. And yet here they were, watching how much Akko's words had hurt Chariot.

"I hate to be the one telling her to go." the red-haired witch whispers dejectedly. "But I don't know what else to do. We can't leave, and, if we do, the Ministry will arrest us. And, if she stays, Croix will be in pain because of the brand. So tell me, Akko, what should I do?"

 _I have to stop this…_

"I will go." Croix says from her chair softly and this stops the two women's discussion.

"Croix…" Ursula whispers sadly.

"I have no other choice." she says this to Akko, who looks away from her.

"To me, nothing makes sense. These rituals and traditions that end up hurting and dividing magical beings. They're not what magic is supposed to be about! I thought magic was supposed to make people happy…" she chokes out the last part and that's Diana's cue to run forward and hug her tight.

"I'm sorry Akko…" she whispers sadly.

"Why are you sorry?" Akko laughs bitterly. "This is not your fault Diana. It's not our fault and yet we're suffering because of it." she separates from her friend and goes towards Croix-Sensei, who is still sitting. "If you were capable of not feeling pain because of the brand and I asked you to not go, would you listen?"

Croix gives her a sad smile.

"If you were in my situation, would you listen?"

Akko chuckles bitterly and steps away from her.

"I had to try."

The older woman chuckles as well.

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't try." she goes towards Akko and uses her hand to wipe her tears. "Are you crying for me?"

"Of course I am!" the brunette whimpers. "I care about you Sensei."

This makes Croix smile warmly at her and hug her tight.

"I will be alright." she promises the younger witch. "It's just a meeting."

"Then why do you look so scared?" Akko challenges her.

"Because I never wanted to be a Meridies." she confesses softly. "And now, I must go and be one for the wrong reasons."

"Sensei…"

"I'll come back." she promises her and then stares at Diana. "Can your familiar acquire the address of the mansion from your maid?" she asks and gets a confirming nod. "Ok, then that settles things." she smiles and turns to look at Chariot who is doing her best to not cry. "Akko, why don't you go with Diana?"

This makes Akko take a look at her mentor and realize how she must be feeling about the situation. Nodding in agreement, she gets close to Ursula and grabs her hand, squeezing it softly and whispering apologies before leaving them alone.

"She didn't mean it." Croix tells her softly after making sure they're alone.

"I don't want you to go." Ursula says while tears fall from her eyes.

"I know…" the lilac-haired woman smiles calmly.

"Do you?" she asks hesitantly. "I know that lately I haven't been like my old self." she whispers dejectedly. "And that I've been distant."

"Chariot…" the older woman grabs her hands. "You haven't done anything wrong. You have been perfect in every way and I'm happy to be your friend again."

"So you only see me as a friend?" the red-haired woman asks knowingly.

Croix closes her eyes painfully.

"Am I that obvious?" she separates from Chariot so she doesn't see her eyes.

"I just know you too well." Ursula smiles sadly at her. "Do you, only see me as a friend?"

"Do you need me to answer that?" Croix asks sadly.

"I don't know." she confesses brokenly. "I just feel so much. A part of me just wants to let things go and forgive you completely." she steps closer to Croix. "While the other is asking me to be careful and wait. To see how things work out and to heal before letting you in again. But I don't want you to give up on me."

This makes Croix shorten the distance between them and hug her tight.

"If your heart is asking you to wait, then listen to it." the older woman tells her surely. "Besides, I am stubborn Chariot." she chuckles softly. "So I promise you that no matter what you do or for how long I must wait, my feelings for you will never change."

This makes Ursula stare at Croix with a sad smile.

"I am lucky to have someone like you." the red-haired woman caresses her friend's face and watches her close her eyes at the contact. "Please come back to me…" she whispers and closes the distance between the two of them.

Croix closes her eyes at the feeling of Chariot's lips on top of hers. It had been so long, and yet, she could still remember the sweet familiar taste. Moaning in relief, she lets go of her inhibitions and kisses Chariot will all her might. She wants to savor every scent and smell; every small whimper and bite that can make her keep this bittersweet kiss in her memory.

"Chariot…" Croix says softly after separating her lips from Chariot's.

"I may not be ready to say the words out-loud." Ursula tells her while kissing her again tenderly. "But I hope my actions speak louder than words. For now…"

 _For now,_ Croix thinks with a happy smile on her face, _this is more than enough._

 _This is hope…_


	11. Why Can't I Say It?

S _o this is really happening,_ Diana thinks while using her magic to call for her owl. She had been surprised by Akko's anger when they were talking about Croix-Sensei. Not that it wasn't wrong for Akko to feel like this. In fact, Diana had been expecting earlier a reaction like that from the brunette witch. But, as it tended to be with things that pertained to Akko, she only got angry when the people she cared about were the ones getting hurt.

Not when she was the one in danger.

Although she had left the room with Akko to give Croix and Ursula Sensei some space, her friend had excused herself and asked for some time alone. Diana didn't blame her for that. She had also gotten close to Croix Sensei and really cared for her. In fact, it seemed like the two older women made a perfect balance between them and each supported Diana and Akko differently. While Ursula Sensei was more maternal, Croix was like the older sister who helped you get away with things.

And, for a person like Diana who lost her parents very early and never played with other children, the quickness with which those three got close to her heart was worrisome.

Especially when she had gotten used to losing the people she loved.

Closing her eyes, Diana smiles softly when her owl appears in her hand.

"Thank you for coming so quickly." she caresses its head and listens carefully to the directions it was telling her. "Understood." she gives him some seeds and lets it rest for a while.

Wanting to tell Croix and Ursula Sensei immediately the news, Diana leaves their bedroom and walks towards the living room. In there, she hears the soft whispers of Ursula Sensei.

 _"I am lucky to have someone like you. Please come back to me."_

Softly getting close to the door, she stops when she sees Croix and Ursula Sensei kissing. There were tears in their eyes and Croix was holding the red-haired woman as close as possible, as if she couldn't believe what was happening.

With a soft smile on her lips, Diana decides to give them more time and steps away from the door, carefully avoiding to make some noise so they don't notice her presence. The feeling inside her chest at watching them, it was threatening to burst out of her. She knew that it was not out of embarrassment, but of happiness at seeing that the woman who had previously believed that she could not be loved, was being shown otherwise.

And because Diana realized than in most ways, Croix Sensei and her were too similar, it gave her hope.

Hope for Akko to accept her as well...

"Hey Diana." she hears Akko calling her from inside their room and she swiftly enters. "Vega is back!" she watches her friend get close to her owl to immediately caress it.

Vega, of course, responds to the touch happily and chirps in contentment.

Her owl had gotten just as smitten with Akko as she was.

"Yes, she just told me the address of the mansion of the Master of Bladell." she informs the brunette softly.

"I don't like this at all." Akko whispers dejectedly. "I know that there's no other option, but that doesn't mean that I have to agree with it."

"I know." Diana tells her sadly while getting close and grabbing her hand. "The moment I learned that the Seal of Loyalty was going to be used, I should have realized that Croix Sensei would be involved. It was my lack of attention that caused our discussion."

"Hey, it wasn't your fault at all Diana." the brunette says to her immediately. "We are being chased by the Ministry, we're practicing harder magic and at the same time you're keeping watch for news outside this house. You're doing all you can and none of us would even dream of asking you to do more. Or worse, blame you for what happened earlier."

This makes Diana smile softly at her friend and squeeze her hand soothingly.

"Thank you." she whispers vulnerably and yelps when she feels Akko hugging her.

"You're always the one that's strong." Akko says softly. "And I have always appreciated that. You're always there when I need you and you console me when I feel down. I don't even know what I would do without you, Diana. And that may be selfish of me, since you could have just stayed away from me… But, I'm glad you didn't." she confesses while looking away from her. "I guess I'm that selfish."

"I chose to be here." Diana reminds her strongly.

Akko chuckles and squeezes her harder.

"And that's what makes it all better." she separates for a while so Diana can see her face. "To realize that you chose me." she gives her a dashing smile. "It's what keeps me going."

Diana nods in understanding and closes her eyes at the feeling of the shorter girl's body close to hers.

"So please, rely on me. I, like you have been doing since I arrived at Luna Nova, will protect you." Akko promises her vehemently.

Hearing that, Diana can't stop the tears and sobs from coming out of her. All her pent-up feelings of desperation, fear and love were pouring out of her and she was doing nothing at all to stop it.

For the first time, she was letting herself go. Because now, she had someone to hold her.

She had Akko…

LWALWALWALWA

Closing her eyes at the sensation of having Croix's lips on top of hers, Ursula feels like this moment had been long overdue. As she told her friend, she was not oblivious to the way Croix acted around her. Also, she was not naïve enough to believe that the lilac-haired woman would place herself in danger just because of a crush. Well, now she knew that Croix loved Akko, but leaving the Ministry to contact her and tell her what was going on; that all happened because Croix knew how much she loves Akko.

And how much it would hurt her to lose her…

Ursula had missed the way the two of them were. Especially after being reminded of their past good times by having Croix back into her life. Without the Shiny Rod, they had slowly transitioned to a place where they could restart their friendship. Still, Ursula knew that wouldn't be possible. Not with the way her heart started beating when she saw the lilac-haired woman. Or the way her eyes focused on her figure and craved to touch her. She was realistic enough to realize that she was attracted to Croix. She desired her and she knew that those feelings were mutual.

Which made things more complicated.

 _(Flashback)_

"Chariot!" she hears Croix scream her name and she turns around to look at her friend. "Does this look good?"

Staring at the older girl, she notices that she's wearing a dress, formal enough to show the formality of the event and yet beautiful enough to make Chariot blush.

Lately, she had been experiencing strange feelings around Croix. Not that she hadn't noticed earlier her desire to be close to the older woman, but now she was realizing that perhaps her reasons for wanting to be by Croix's side were not as pure as she had thought them to be. She was not embarrassed of her feelings, nor did she saw them as something bad. What was troubling her was if Croix felt the same way. She had not seen her friend act or react differently towards her and that only indicated to her that Croix was oblivious to the way Chariot felt.

But she couldn't really blame Croix for not noticing this.

Not when she was going through so many things because of her…

Croix's mother had kept her word and stayed away from Luna Nova and her daughter, focusing on her campaign and politics. Croix, although she pretended to be ok with this, was in fact hurt and saddened by her mother's rejection. She had been sulking, her grades miraculously not suffering from her lack of sleep or fatigue. But, when she was with Chariot, she allowed her true feelings out. She was angry at the world for making her a Meridies, for giving her a mother that didn't care about her and a position in which she could do nothing about it. And, to make things more complicated, Chariot had just been given the Shiny Rod and had been chosen over Croix.

Croix had, again, been rejected…

Unfortunately, and perhaps this was a presage from fate, Croix had been ordered by her mom to attend a party at the Meridies mansion. Many members of the magical world were going to be there along with the most respected families of the government. Croix had been adamant about going, but when it came to her mother, Chariot knew that no matter how much her friend tried to stay strong, at the end she was going to do as told.

Croix's mother had always been the older girl's weakness.

"You look beautiful." she says softly and smiles when Croix blushes as well. "This dress really suits you."

"Thank you." Croix whispers and sits in front of her mirror. "You know, after my mother asked me to not go home for the holidays, I was expecting her to not contact me for a while. And yet, she goes and orders me to come to this party." she chuckles bitterly. "Because it would look bad for the heir of the Meridies family to not be there."

"Croix…" Chariot whispers sadly.

"I know she's doing this because she won the elections and will be made the Prime Minister." the lilac-haired girl adds somberly. "Once that happens, she will no longer be able to be the head of the Meridies family."

This makes Chariot stare worriedly at her friend.

Then this would mean…

"I graduate Luna Nova in one more year. And, once that happens, I will officially be capable of performing the ritual that will make me become the head of the family." she whispers dejectedly. "Now, more than ever, my mother is going to force me to perform the ritual as soon as possible."

 _Croix would become the head of the Meridies family._

 _Croix would leave her…_

But worse than that, Croix was going to be unhappy. And Chariot, despite her selfishness at keeping her friend close, could not see her become something she didn't want to be.

"You know, you can easily fix things with your mother if you just stop being my friend." she says calmly, doing her best to not cry after saying those words.

"No way!" the older woman tells her vehemently. "I already told you Chariot, I won't stop seeing you just because my mother doesn't agree with it. She doesn't know you; hasn't taken the time to talk to you and still claims you're not good enough." she looks down. "When it's quite the opposite. You're too good for me."

This makes Chariot smile sadly at her friend and get close enough to hug her.

"I'm glad to hear you say that." she admits shyly. "I wasn't sure of what you felt after all that has happened between us."

 _After I was given the Shiny Rod…_

"It chose you, Chariot." Croix tells her softly. "And I'm not surprised it did, not after knowing how good and kind you are. I mean here you are, helping me get ready for the party of the woman that insulted you."

"Your mother..." Chariot says carefully. "Her actions do not reflect your opinion or views. So, why should I treat you differently?"

This makes Croix chuckle sadly.

"Why are you like this?" she whispers to herself but Chariot hears her. "Why are you this way with me? I mean, I know you care about me. But all of this abuse, is it really worth it to be with someone like me?"

"Of course it is!" she grabs her friend's hands tightly. "You, Croix, mean so much to me…" she looks down in embarrassment. "Too much…"

This makes the older woman take a hard look at her and Chariot feels like she's going to cry. She had said too much and now had made the situation uncomfortable between them.

Not capable of bearing the silence of the room, the red-haired moves to stand up from the ground and run away, but, before she's capable of doing that she's held by two strong arms.

"Croix…" she whimpers brokenly and tries her best to not let her friend see her face.

"Look at me…" Croix whispers and moves her chin up softly. "Please…" she asks her Chariot does as told.

Staring at her friend, she can notice green eyes focusing intently on her, analyzing her face, trying to understand her actions and reactions. Almost as if she were this new experiment that Croix had done and was scrutinizing for results.

Hesitantly, she sees Croix moving her face forward and Chariot holds her breath when she feels her friend's breathing close to her lips. Closing her eyes, she doesn't move and allows Croix to continue her exploration. Fingertips move up to caress her eyes and clean her tears, and almost as quickly, lips start kissing her nose and cheeks tenderly.

Whimpering, Chariot starts crying again and this makes Croix stop her ministrations. Opening her eyes, she sees hesitant green ones begging her for answers. And, because Chariot was impulsive, the only thing that she thought would be clear enough was to hold Croix's face and kiss her.

The first seconds were the most terrifying because Croix was not reacting to her lips. In fact, she could feel the older girl had frozen and was not moving at all. Thinking that her kiss was not being corresponded, Chariot was going to separate when finally, she felt Croix's arms wrap up around her to keep her close. Lips that had previously been still were now moving in sync with hers and were responding to her touch.

Using her own arms to get closer to Croix, Chariot separates her lips and starts kissing her neck tenderly, making the older girl moan softly and to squeeze her tight. She could feel the older girl's breathing regulating, and after, making sure that she was calm, Chariot simply stayed quiet in that close embrace, waiting for Croix to say something to her.

"I…" Croix whispers to her. "I like you too." she stutters out and that's all Chariot needs to hear.

 _(End of Flashback)_

That longing Ursula had experienced when she was a child, was still there. In fact, it activated every moment she saw Croix. This desire to protect her friend from her painful past and to shelter her overwhelmed her senses.

And yet she could not say this to Croix.

Because she was scared of being left with a broken heart yet again.

"No regrets?" Croix interrupts her line of thought with a soft and understanding smile on her face.

 _It was hopeless…_

"None at all." she says surely to her friend and holds her tight. "Even after all that has happened between us Croix, I would never regret us." she says surely and this makes Croix smile brightly.

"Excuse us…" Ursula hears Diana say from outside and she squeezes Croix's hand one more time before separating. "Vega has returned with the directions for the mansion."

This makes Ursula look questioningly at her friend.

"Croix, I know I said that you had to go." she whispers softly. "But if you tell me you don't want to, I'll do whatever I can do to help you."

"We both know I have to go." Croix tells her with a sad smile. "But thank you for saying that. Come in!" she screams and Akko and Diana enter the room. "Sorry we kept you waiting."

"That's alright." Diana says and both women notice her blushing when she looks at them.

 _She knows…_ Ursula and Croix think at the same time and blush as well.

The only one oblivious to the heaviness in the air was Akko, who had taken a seat in one of the chairs and was staring questioningly at them.

"So, the address is?" she asks Diana who looks at Akko and blushes even more than before.

"Yes, of course." she gains composure of herself and sits next to Akko. "It's not far away from here." she creates a map with her wand. "Only 10 mins away."

"That's good." Ursula says relieved.

The closer they were to Croix, the better.

"Do we have a plan if something were to happen and we need to take Croix Sensei out of there?" Akko asks seriously.

"Their security will be tight." Croix answers her calmly. "So although the distance is not much, there's still a risk of engaging in a battle where the numbers will not be in our favor."

"I think that the best we could do is use the cubes Croix created for us to communicate with her while she's in there." Ursula says. "They are undetectable to magic devices and have their own source of magic production so they don't use magic from their surroundings."

"Which makes them completely undetectable." Diana says proudly. "That way, if you're in trouble, we'll hear and we can plan something to help you."

"Yes, the best thing we could do is for me to enter the mansion alone and leave alone." Croix adds confidently. "I'm not afraid of my safety since I'm the leader of the Meridies family. They need me alive." she whispers bitterly. "What I'm worried about is that they realize that I'm aiding you and use me as leverage to capture you all."

"Since the Ministry has not released any information regarding our escape, the other families must think that Croix Sensei left the Ministry because of other reasons." Akko realizes the way the plan was going to be.

"Indeed. So, the safest way for me to go to that meeting is by pretending to be oblivious to it all. And, I will use the opportunity to see how things are inside the nine families and the way the blood ritual is going to be performed."

"You mean there are many ways?" the brunette witch whispers worriedly.

"It depends on the Master of Bloadell and the family performing the ritual." Ursula says softly. "While some families performed the rituals with simple sacrifices, others required more 'brutal' prices."

"The practice itself is barbaric." Diana says bitterly. "To even think that you will have to see and be a part of something like that…" she trembles at the thought.

This makes Croix get close to the blonde girl and squeeze her shoulder tenderly.

"We need this. Perhaps this meeting will give us some clues into the role the Master of Bloadell has to play in all of this. It may also tells us if they're somehow working with the terrorists and how those antimagic artifacts works. We need to be prepared for anything."

"We need to know which families are supporting him." Ursula adds as well. "I refuse to believe that all families are ok with the blood rituals."

"I guess we'll see that the moment the ritual starts." Croix says softly. "Who looks too interested or disgusted in it. Perhaps we could use this to gain some allies."

"You need to stay under the radar Sensei." Diana warns her. "Just because the Ministry hasn't released the information of our escape, that does not mean that the people inside Luna Nova haven't said anything about it."

"You're thinking of someone specific." Ursula realizes what the blonde witch is trying to say.

"Hannah and Barbara, they belong to the McKentosh and Bordbeux family." she informs them all. "Their parents are not close to gaining the leadership, but they are active members and gain benefits. I don't know if Hannah or Barbara have spoken to them, but they did tell me that their parents had told them about the blood rituals when they were trying to stop me from seeing Akko."

"Then that means I'll keep an extra eye on them." Croix says calmly. "I don't plan on making any kind of spectacle, but we should use this event to try to understand more what's happening."

"I can't say I'm against that." the red-haired witch agrees with her friend. "The information could aid us in the future."

"But the moment things get dangerous you will leave." Akko tells her firmly. "Promise us all." she says and Croix knows they're all waiting for her answer.

"I promise you that I won't do anything reckless." Croix says with a soft smile that was meant to reassure them.

It did the opposite.


	12. Familiar Faces

Author's Note: So I kinda lied? This chapter happened instead hahah and it helps understand the way the olde families function and the tense situation surrounding them. Next chapter will be for sure the blood ritual.

PS: Thank you all for the support and love! I'm enjoying the process of writing this story very much!

* * *

Running around the mansion, Croix was doing her best to avoid the spells coming her way. Turning, she casts her own and hits the woman in the chest. Huffing in annoyance at having been caught, she takes out her cube and hears the panicked voice of Chariot asking her where she was. She knew that she didn't have enough time, so using a recollection spell on herself, she places the memories of the meeting she just witnessed inside of the cube and makes it fly away from there.

"Stop!" she cannot move although she wants to.

"Damn it…" Croix murmurs and sees the Master of Bloadell putting his artifact away.

 _So that's how he stopped her from using her magic…_

"Miss Meridies…" he says calmly. "Why, if you don't mind telling me, are you leaving when our meeting is not over yet?"

 _She had broken her promise…_

 **Hours Earlier…**

"I'm ready." Croix says calmly while putting her familiar red cape on.

Although she had decided on not using that anymore, she knew that right now she needed the confidence and personality she had acquired from using that robe. It had been a part of creating her new persona as Croix Meridies, successful professor and erudite; untouchable and perfect in every way. And, while she realized that it was far away from the truth, many fell victim to her charm while impersonating herself like that.

And she needed that confidence and coldness right now.

"Please be careful Sensei." Akko tells her softly while giving her a potion.

"What's this?" she asks and turns the tube around.

"Diana and I made it for you." she smiles while giving the blonde witch her hand. "Although we wouldn't want you to use it."

"It's a potion that can heal wounds and injuries. Also, it can cure poisoning." Diana explains to her. "We know that it's not enough, but it's something."

"Thank you." she whispers to them warmly and hugs them tight.

It was strange, to have people that cared about her this much.

It was nice…

"Remember, you're just going to sit through the meeting and see how things are." Chariot reminds her carefully. "You won't try to sneak out or you won't bring any kind of attention to yourself."

Croix chuckles warmly. During their time at Luna Nova, it was usually Chariot the one that got into trouble and she was the one that helped her out of it.

To think that their roles had reversed during their years away.

"I promise you I won't do anything that will put me in danger."

"Ok." Ursula says softly and doesn't stop herself from hugging the older woman tightly. "Please, come back to us."

"I will." Croix hugs her back just as tight and gives them one more smile before handing them the cubes. "Remember, you'll be able to hear everything I hear. But, if I don't use the spell to turn on the audio, I won't hear what you say."

"Got it." Diana answers her and takes the cubes from her hand.

"Secretis No Encontrare!" she chants the spell and places a cloaking spell on herself.

"Be careful!" Chariot tells her again and she closes the door to her lab quickly.

Now that she was alone, Croix needed to move quickly to where the mansion was. Although she had not felt any traces of magic nearby, it was possible that the Ministry had witches near the area. Besides, they were just as capable of using the same spell she had placed on herself. So, without bringing any kind of attention, Croix calmly walks towards her destination. She knew the neighborhood very well, and was disappointed that she couldn't show it to Chariot and the girls. Croix, in her desire for greatness, had chosen one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city and it was a shame that the people closest to her couldn't enjoy it.

Making sure that she was not being followed, Croix takes out her cube and prepares it so that the others can hear what's happening around her.

"I'm almost there." she informs them softly.

 _"Please be careful Sensei."_ she hears Akko ask her. _"Ursula Sensei is currently watching your surroundings with a location spell. She says the coast is clear."_

"Got it." she smiles and moves towards the mansion. "I can see guards surrounding the place."

 _"The Master of Bloadell is known in both the magic and non-magic community."_ Diana explains to the people in the room. _"In the non-magic world he's from nobility, so his position is still important."_

 _"More reasons to act cautiously."_ Chariot reminds her.

"I know." she whispers and prepares to turn off her sound. "Ok, I will have to turn off the audio from your side, so remember that I won't be able to hear you."

 _"Good luck."_

Putting the cube away, Croix calmly walks through the gates and stops when a butler prevents her from coming in.

Moving her cape away, she lets him see her brand and the man immediately lets her walk right in. Huffing in annoyance, Croix advances right past him and takes her time to check her surroundings. The mansion, of course, was nothing but spectacular. There were crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, sculptures and paintings decorating the walls and petals of roses creating a path for the attendants to follow.

The security was, as well, top notch.

There were guards in every corner with radios on their hips and wands in their pockets. Their exercises and routines were synchronized and all of them seemed adequate at physical and magical combat.

Closing her eyes in deep thought, she starts considering the many possible excuses she could give if forced to leave the place. And unfortunately, not many came to mind. She was going to have to stay until the end if she wanted to make sure that no one would notice her. While the Meridies were important inside the magical community, they were never truly vocal when it came to the nine olde families and the different laws being passed. But, there had not been a meeting of this level of importance since her mother became the Prime Minister. So, this could mean that they were expecting her to state her allegiance; either with her mother or the Master of Bloadell.

Again, her mother making things harder for her.

"Excuse me, miss…" she hears another butler address her and this makes Croix realize that she had been standing still. "Are you alright?"

"Of course." she smiles fakely. "I was just admiring the décor." she moves away from him and sees other people walking in the same direction she is going.

With the directions and orders from the butlers, Croix finds herself inside a large room. It was filled with glasses, bottles of wine, champagne, whisky and all kinds of imaginable drinks. Couches and sofas were located around the place and there were already many people sitting and drinking alcohol. Others, at the same time, were smoking and talking with each other, the tension surrounding them quite palpable.

Croix knew very well that they were all scared.

"Croix, long time no see." she hears a familiar voice say to her and she turns around to see her uncle approaching her.

"Indeed it has been long." she murmurs and grabs a glass of champagne.

When she was a child, her uncle had been her favorite. He understood how she felt, how hard it was to please the family and her mother. He had listened to her complaining, to her suffering and had offered her advice after graduating Luna Nova. In fact, he had been the one that helped her leave the family to pursue her career in Magitronics.

 _(Flashback)_

"Uncle!" Croix says worriedly while entering the room where she asked him to meet. "I need your help."

"What is it child?" he asks her softly.

"You know why my mother suddenly asked me to come." she whispers bitterly. "Why she organized this party so soon after winning the election."

This makes the older man give her a sad smile.

"I had my suspicions until I confirmed you were coming."

"I don't want to become the head of the Meridies."

"Many envy your position Croix."

"Because they don't know what it entails!" she screams but then closes her eyes. "I have so many things left to do. Something more important than maintaining tradition and magic to the olde families."

"Your dream…" he remembers warmly. "Are you closer to making it a reality?"

This makes Croix close her eyes. With Chariot and the Shiny Rod, everything had now become possible.

"For the first time it seems that way." she smiles softly.

"And this sudden determination has nothing to do with your friend from Luna Nova? The one Samantha doesn't approve of?"

"She's a part of the reason." she confesses honestly. "I can't say that I'm her friend when I form part of a family that despises her because of her blood." she whispers brokenly.

"But becoming the leader could help you change the way our family acts towards people that are not from the olde families."

"I don't want just my family to change. I want the whole world to become better." Croix says surely. "I don't want for people that are like Chariot to suffer in our world. I want them to love magic the same way I have learned to love it."

"You love magic?" her uncle asks her surprised.

"Chariot..." Croix gives the older man a bright smile. "She showed me how beautiful and happy magic can be. And I want to show that to the whole world."

This makes her uncle give her a warm smile.

"And you're confident that change can only occur if you relinquish your position as the head of the Meridies family?" he asks her again.

"I'm sure this is the way." she repeats confidently and watches him take out a book from the shelf.

"I knew this day would come." her uncle explains to her while giving her the book. "So I started researching how to help you." he opens it to a specific page. "And, if you perform a succession ritual with another individual that belongs to the family you can relinquish your position as head of the clan to them."

"It says here that for the spell to have a higher chance of success; it needs to be performed with the closest familiar that is next in line for the leadership." Croix then gives her uncle a surprised look. "But that's you…" she says softly.

Her uncle nods in confirmation.

"And you would want this?"

"I wanted it when I was younger. When I was told that it mattered." he tells her honestly with a sad. "Right now, what I want is to see one of us be happy. I want to see a Meridies truly change the world."

 _(End of Flashback)_

After that talk, and showing the proper documents to all the members of the family, Croix had never attended a family event. By performing the ritual, she had been exiled from the family and had relinquished any right to reclaim her right to be seen as an active member. While she could still carry the last name, she would not have a voice when it came to family decisions.

So, to see her uncle after so many years was making her act a little hesitant. How much had he changed in 10 years and with power?

"I'm surprised to see you here. With you abandoning the family business right after you graduated Luna Nova and relinquishing the leadership of the family to me, I did not expect you to make an appearance."

"I may have done so officially." she tells him bored. "But to the Master of Bloadell and his magic, I am the leader of the Meridies family." she shows him the brand. "So it's not like I had a choice."

"Seems like it." her uncle tells her carefully and takes her to the far side of the room.

Croix feels the air around them switch.

"You just placed a shield around us."

"They can touch us and we can hear them." he explains calmly to her. "But they can't hear us."

"So what you plan on telling me is something important." Croix murmurs worriedly.

"Listen Croix, I don't know what it is you're after or your motives for coming here, but we both know that it's not because you're interested in blood rituals and tests."

This makes her stare curiously at the older man.

He had changed. Become colder and harsher.

"I came here because we both know what happens if the Master of Bloadell activates my brand." Croix tells him bitterly.

"And is that really all?" he gives her a knowing look. "We the Meridies have always been a proud family that is committed to the continuity of magic." he continues saying. "And, access to magic has always been a privilege, not a right." he closes his eyes. "Or that is what I should be saying. But this, what is going on right now, is not being done for the betterment of magic."

"Is it not?" Croix asks him honestly.

"Of course not child." he scoffs bitterly. "All of this is a plan, of who I'm not sure, to reintroduce this nonsensical policy to further their own goals."

 _So he can see it too…_

"I'm telling you this because I'm aware of what happened at Luna Nova." he looks at her knowingly. "While your mother and I never saw each other eye to eye on many things, in this one we agree. We cannot let the Master of Bloadell gain a majority in the Parliament."

"So you agree with her in using a child as leverage to gain some time?" she spits angrily and feels sorry about Akko hearing their discussion.

"Of course not, child. I would never approve of something like that and you know it." her uncle tells her honestly. "You did the right thing."

"So what are you asking me to do now?" Croix wants him to get to the point. "We will not hand the Luna Nova students to the Ministry."

"A smart decision." he agrees with her. "What I want you to do is not interfere, child. No matter what you see tonight, I want you to remain silent and to leave this place without promising to support or be against him. Tell him that you want time to think and see how things inside the Parliament are moving."

"The least we have is time." she reminds him tersely. "You know that my mother has lost popularity uncle. Only with a miracle she'll be able to regain the support of the members of the parliament."

"That may be…" her uncle agrees with her. "But we cannot compromise with him. He is determined to make this law pass because he's gaining something from it."

 _More magical power…_

"I will not accept his offer." Croix tells him. "But I also will not support my mother. The way she has been handling this incident has not been the best one."

"Are you talking about the girls from Luna Nova again?" he asks her calmly. "Yes, Samantha has always been that way when it comes to collateral damage."

 _Collateral damage…_

"Non-caring as long as she wins." he gives her a sad knowing look and Croix knows that he speaks from experience.

He had been the one pushed aside when her mother proved to be a better witch than him.

"Fortunately for her, Luna Nova has remained silent about the incident and the Cavendish are not aware that one of their own is involved in the matter. While Daryl is with the Meridies and will abstain from making a public vote tonight, many inside her clan would force her to vote if they found out that the future leader of the family is being a victim of the Ministry."

 _Her uncle is too well informed._

"How do you know so much?" she asks him worriedly.

Someone was leaking information out of Luna Nova. Like Diana had said, there were people inside the school from the nine olde families that could use that information against them.

"Your mother." he replies simply. "She told me everything when you escaped Luna Nova and asked for my support in this meeting."

"She knows that she needs the leaders of the families on her side right now." Croix murmurs somberly. "The McKentosh and Bordbeux…" she warns him. "They may be aware of the girls' escape from Luna Nova."

"Understood." he whispers to her and with a movement of his hand grabs a familiar cube from the table.

"Is that the cube I gave you when I first succeeded in creating them?" she asks touched.

"Of course." her uncle chuckles warmly. "They're quite the invention." he finishes saying and separates from her. "We're being called."

Closing her eyes and taking a deep, preparing breath, Croix follows her uncle along and makes sure to not sit close to him. She was sure that her uncle had said those bitter remarks to her so that the people around them would believe that they were not in speaking terms.

He had always been clever like that.

Sitting in one of the many lined chairs, Croix notices chalk marks on the floor and a magic circle in the center of the room. Close-by, she sees the remaining family leaders arriving and watches Daryl Cavendish make eye contact with her uncle while taking a seat in the opposite side of the room.

So her uncle had been right about the Cavendish being on their side.

"Please everyone take a seat." the host informs them with a bright smile. "We will be starting soon per the orders of the Master of Bloadell. Please make sure that you don't perform any kind of magic as it may interfere with the ritual that will be taking place. Also, as tradition demands, all carriers of the brand, please rise up and chant the incantation words."

Groaning in bitterness at making her presence known, Croix, along with the remaining eight members stand up and say the binding words tersely. None were truly comfortable with the situation, and it was quite clear in the way they spoke and refused to make eye contact with each other.

Closing her eyes so she could try her best to recall the vow her mother made her memorize when she was a child, she felt bitter when she remembers it vividly.

 _"As done many times before, here we are answering the call. By the power of the Seal of Loyalty, we remain at magic's side. Again and again, our successors will return to the core of our power. To the pride of our families. To the Crystal of Bloadell."_

As soon as those words were said, Croix felt her brand burning through her shoulder. The burning was not painful, but it was bothersome and it made her feel like she was a cattle animal, being branded as livestock for the master. And perhaps, based on those previous words, they had all been made so by their ancestors. Once the magic of the brand was eliminated, Croix returns to her seat and waits for the Master of Bloadell to make his appearance.

"With this done, we're ready to begin." the host says happily and immediately prepares to welcome his master. "So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, the Master of Bloadell…"

Now the real show was going to begin…


	13. Realizing Some Feelings

Moving around in circles, Akko can't stop herself from pacing from side to side. Diana had left the room and that gave the brunette witch some time to show how she truly felt. She didn't want to make her friend become more worried but time was going by and they still hadn't heard back from Croix-Sensei. Although only an hour had gone by since they last spoke with her, Akko was already terrified of what could happen to the older witch. She truly cared about her, perhaps even started to love her in a maternal way: Similar to the kind of love and devotion she had for Ursula-Sensei. Because, apart from them and Diana, no one else had ever cared about her or protected her in such a way.

Earlier, the three of them had been calmly listening to the conversations that were coming from Croix's cube, noticing how tense the people inside the mansion sounded. They had been relaxed about the fact that no one was trying to approach Croix or attempting to converse with her. And yet, it had been after listening to the conversation between the lilac-haired woman and her uncle that things started to get intense.

 _(Flashback)_

"So parties of the elite are like that, huh?" Akko murmurs while sitting down in one of the chairs.

They had just finished listening to the conversation Croix had with her uncle and it made Akko be thankful to have a non-magical family. The way the two had talked with one another, hiding truths and speaking between the lines; it made Akko realize that there wasn't much to envy from their lifestyle.

Seriously, what was wrong with these people?

"Well, most people don't realize the intricacies of belonging to the nine olde families." Chariot explains to her. "What they're truly about and what it entails to be a part of them."

"And I thought Andrew's party was terrible because most people looked like they didn't want to be there…" the brunette says because that's the only party she had ever been to in the magical world.

And that one had also been filled with secrecy and lies.

"Andrew's party paled in comparison to the seriousness of this event." Diana tells her calmly. "Trust me, you do not want to be part of a meeting from one of the olde families."

"Croix despised them as well." the red-head informs them solemnly. "She was always so upset when her mother forced her to attend them. In fact, she was relieved when she was told to not attend them once she gave the leadership of the family away."

"Did you ever go to one Ursula Sensei?" Akko asks her mentor curiously.

"Although I come from a magical family, we're part of the newer ones. So, when I first joined Luna Nova many didn't take me into consideration because of that." she gives them a sad smile. "It was only when I met Croix that people started paying attention to me. Also, getting the help of the Shiny Rod allowed me to improve my magic and start winning competitions at school."

"That's right, you won the Lunar Witch award when you got the Shiny Rod." the brunette murmurs softly. "Similar to what happened to me that first week after the missile crisis."

"Akko, the Shiny Rod doesn't give the carrier more magic." Ursula explains to her softly. "It just helps you release your natural magic and talent easier. It aids you with concentrating your own magic and facilitating the process."

"So the magic that you used as Shiny Chariot was your own." Diana says understandingly. "It explains how you're currently one of the most powerful witches without using the Shiny Rod."

"So I was always using my magic?" Akko whispers hopefully.

"Of course!" the red-haired woman promises her quickly. "Can't you see how much you have advanced and the spells you're now using? They're a testament of the magical talent you have; a talent that is still waiting to be uncovered." she gives her student a bright smile. "With help and guidance, I'm sure your magic will flourish Akko and become more beautiful."

"And I know that Ursula and Croix-Sensei will help you in achieving that. As I will do too." the blonde witch promises her as well.

"Thank you…" Akko chokes out and starts feeling those old insecurities slowly getting away from her.

She looks at Diana with a bright smile.

"Thank you Diana, for offering to help me."

This makes Diana blush and look down in embarrassment.

Ursula notices this, of course…

"Friends like that help us grow and become better witches Akko." she tells her pupil softly. "Like you have Diana, I had Croix supporting me when I was younger and didn't know how to use the Shiny Rod."

"That's true. You two were very close when you studied at Luna Nova." Akko remembers warmly. "I bet you two were the most powerful witches of the school!"

"Croix became my friend way before the Shiny Rod appeared to me." Ursula smiles softly. "When I was a no one and she was the heir of the Meridies family."

"I assume Croix's mother wasn't very welcoming of your friendship." Diana says knowingly to the older woman.

"She refused to acknowledge Croix until she stopped seeing me. During that time, her mother was running for the position of Prime Minister and she didn't want anything or anyone jeopardizing that." the red-haired woman says softly. "She always saw our friendship as an obstacle because of my position in the magical world." she chuckles. "And when I became Shiny Chariot things certainly didn't improve."

"Because Shiny Chariot was seen as a rebel witch… As a traitor for using magic in that way." the blonde girl says softly.

"But you only stopped talking to Croix-Sensei after you became Shiny Chariot. And, you left Luna Nova one year before your last show." Akko says confused. "How was Croix-Sensei able to remain friends with you during all that time?"

Diana smiles warmly at the older woman.

"She abandoned the family." she says knowingly because she knew that if it were Akko and her in the same situation she would have done the same. "Before she graduated Luna Nova and soon after you got the Shiny Rod."

Ursula nods softly while blushing profusely.

"She chose you as well." Akko whispers brightly and both Diana and Ursula notice the way the brunette stares at Diana.

"Indeed." the red-haired woman says warmly. "And for a while she helped me with searching the words, consoling me when things didn't work out and saving me from trouble."

"Until the incident…"

"I failed to see that Croix was suffering from abandoning her family. That she was still bitter about not being chosen by the Shiny Rod and that I was not getting the results she had been expecting." Ursula says sadly. "At that time I didn't understand how much Croix cared about bringing magic back. I didn't realize that doing so would prove to her family, to her mother, that she had been right."

"And she grew bitter and restless because of that." Diana can understand her mentor's past peril. "So she used forbidden magic without telling you and that's when you two stopped talking."

"I was heartbroken." she confesses to the younger witches. "It felt like the ultimate betrayal and all Croix could see was her own desires." then she smiles softly. "We were both selfish with each other. I guess that's what happens when you're young and only worry about your own dreams."

"But still, even after Croix abandoned the family she still kept in touch with her mother…"

"Not many outside the family knew and Croix used that to her advantage." Ursula tells them. "Being the daughter of the Prime Minister does bring you some perks for researching magic."

"Still, Croix-Sensei did sign a contract. So why is the brand still on her? Shouldn't it be on her uncle?" Akko asks her mentor.

"I'm not sure." she responds solemnly. "Perhaps because the contract Croix's uncle used is newer magic, it failed to eliminate the effect of the Seal of Loyalty."

"Similar to the magic of the Words; its power came from its age." Diana thinks out-loud. "Hence, the effect of the brand wasn't nullified."

"So that means that in this meeting Croix-Sensei is considered the head of the Meridies." the brunette says worriedly. "And we wanted her to stay out of the spotlight."

"Well, none of us could truly know how the rituals work. Only active members of the families are allowed to see them." Diana explains. "Since Croix-Sensei abandoned the family before graduating Luna Nova and I haven't become an active member of the Cavendish family, we were in the dark regarding the matter."

Chariot nods in agreement.

"Right now, what we're hearing goes against the traditions of the magic community since the nine olde families were established."

"Well, traditions were meant to be changed." Akko says surely. "Especially ones that use torture and slavery to continue functioning."

"The dark side of magic." Ursula whispers sadly to her pupil. "Not what you had imagined when you first joined Luna Nova, right?"

"I was very naïve in believing that things would be that simple." the brunette chuckles bitterly. "But I still don't regret anything; coming to Luna Nova to learn magic, meeting all of you… I would never want to change it."

This makes Ursula and Diana give her warm smiles.

"Besides, things were not like this at first. The first week after the missile crisis…" she remembers warmly. "It was the best week of my life. Before all this madness started happening." the brunette looks at Diana. "Did you ever think that things would turn out this way?"

"I only thought of bringing magic back." Diana confesses softly. "I never considered the repercussions of doing so."

"Neither did we." Ursula admits to them sadly. "I think that we were all too worried about making magic return that we didn't consider if we should bring it back."

 _(End of Flashback)_

Closing her eyes in exasperation, Akko tries her best to not get out of the room to search for Diana. She knew that the blonde witch was feeling tense about the situation and the last thing she wanted was to exasperate her.

"Can I come in?" she hears a soft voice ask her and the brunette sees her mentor standing at the door.

"Of course Ursula Sensei." she says immediately and the red-haired woman sits next to her. "Any news?"

"Unfortunately, nothing out of the ordinary. It seems that they're waiting for the Master of Bloadell to arrive to the mansion." the older woman replies carefully. "Diana is staying in the living room making sure that we don't miss anything."

"I should be there with her as well…" Akko murmurs bitterly. "Ever since this whole incident started, Diana has been taking care of and protecting me from everything."

"And is that so bad?" Ursula asks her softly.

"Of course it is!" she responds immediately. "Because it makes her become tired and more worried. She has to care about herself as well!"

Ursula stares softly at her.

"Don't you think that it calms Diana to know that you're close to her? That you're by her side?" And that perhaps that's the reason she wants to be with you?"

This makes Akko think in contemplation.

"I mean, wouldn't it be the same for you if the situation were the opposite? If Diana was the one in danger, wouldn't you want to always be next to her?"

The brunette witch nods in confirmation.

"One thing that I have noticed during the time we've spent together is how similar you and I are, Akko. I guess that's why you reminded me so much of myself…" Ursula chuckles softly. "And, I have learned that it is hard for people like us to realize that we need help; That we can't be the ones helping others all the time."

"I don't understand Sensei…"

"Before I got the Shiny Rod, I wanted to use my magic to make people happy. I knew what I wanted, but not how I could make it a reality. And, during my first year at Luna Nova I failed at every test and project I was asked to perform. It left me heartbroken because I was slowly realizing that perhaps I wouldn't be capable of making my dream come true."

Akko notices the way the red-haired woman's smile changes to one of complete elation.

"But, in perhaps the best day of my life, I almost killed one of the prodigy students of the school with my broom." Ursula chuckles warmly. "That was the day I met Croix and realized that I couldn't do things alone. That there were other people around me who had the same dream I had."

"The same dream…" Akko says softly. "Diana also wants to make people love magic. She wants to show the world how wonderful it can be…" she smiles warmly. "Which I guess is what brought us closer after I went to get her back."

"See…" her mentor gives her a knowing smile. "Don't push the people closest to you away. Accept them with everything that they come and enjoy what they have to give you. Don't question their presence or their motives if their actions are in order to protect you."

"I will try not to." she promises the older woman because she knows that she's right. "It's just hard getting used to the idea that there is someone out there that cares that much about me."

"You're a very bright girl Akko." Ursula gets close to her and caresses her cheek tenderly. "Who wouldn't want to get close to you?" she asks and is immediately hugged by the younger girl.

"Thank you." Akko whispers while holding her mentor tighter. "For coming to see me and console me after I was so awful to you a couple of hours ago."

"I was angry at myself as well." the red-haired woman tells her. "I don't like feeling so helpless. And, I care about Croix the same way you care about Diana. She is the only person that has been by my side since the start of everything. She is the one." she confesses to Akko surely.

Akko can understand, even if Ursula doesn't say those special three words, what her mentor feels for Croix-Sensei.

A bond that went beyond friendship and that had been nourished between the two of them for years…

 _I care about Croix the same way you care about Diana…_

Did she care about Diana in such a way? She had never asked herself that question in regards to anyone. She had been more worried about finding Chariot and becoming a great witch. Which is why when the bee stung Andrew, she had not felt sparks, only embarrassment about being a second-hand victim of the animal's wickedness. And, in their next meetings, what Akko had felt for Andrew was deep care and camaraderie. To her, Andrew was more like her older brother who allowed her to get away with things.

But love… That was something else.

And, although Akko had never thought about being in love, she knew enough to realize when she liked someone. She had felt the emotions; the butterflies in her stomach, the happiness of knowing that the person she loves was close. The sadness of thinking that said person would abandon her. The worriedness of considering that she was being selfish and putting her loved one in danger. All of those emotions Akko had mistakenly considered them friendship. But now, after hearing and watching the way Ursula-Sensei talked about Croix-Sensei, it was pretty clear that what Akko felt was more than that.

Because, although being betrayed by your best friend certainly hurt; the pain Ursula-Sensei had described to her a long time ago was much larger and deeper than that.

It was the pain of a lover…

And Akko had confused it.

Hence, if Akko had to think about a person in her life that took priority over all others like the way Ursula-Sensei saw Croix; then there was one name that was at the top of her list. How watching that person from afar gave her chills. How being with her made Akko feel truly happy and complete. How accepting her help had calmed her heart and had allowed her to heal. How that person was slowly fixing her insecurities and showing her a whole new world.

Akko had been a fool. Too blinded because of what had happened to them, she had failed to realize the depth of her feelings. And now that she finally understood them, she was desperate enough to confess to said person the love she felt inside her heart. Because Akko knew that she could do it right now. She could because the owner of her heart was only a couple of feet away from her. The blonde witch had showed Akko time and time again that she had chosen her; that she was going to stay and protect her. The young girl with the blue eyes had proved to her with her words and actions the way she felt.

Akko was certain of her feelings.

She was just feeling embarrassed about the fact that it took her a long time to realize that the feelings she had for Diana Cavendish were because she was in love with her.

And that was so typical her…


End file.
